


All Teeth and Smiles episode three

by Storytins



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood Magic, F/F, F/M, Girl Penis, Gyste, Intersex, M/M, Marking, Ownership, Same-Sex Marriage, Vampires, imp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-03-09 16:56:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 43
Words: 131,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13485804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storytins/pseuds/Storytins
Summary: Quinn rises to the very top of society so quickly there are bound to be people waiting in the wings to take her down but where will the attack come from?Rachel has an opportunity to become a star but she is no longer sure this is her priority.This episode see Quinn and Rachel becoming focused on their future but to move on they must address the past and survive their mistakes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own glee of their characters, I write to enjoy the process so please join me and get involved.

Once again the breakfast room is crowded and rowdy, Russell shakes his head because he remembers wanting this more than anything but he guesses in truth you really should be careful what you wish for.

‘All I am saying is there is a precedent for a human to offer up as a Eunuch.’ Richard has taken to arguing with Rachel almost every day.

‘And I am telling you regardless of any precedent this is a bad idea.’ Rachel tries again to reason with her brother, he has been in the household for barely three months she really doesn’t want to lose him yet.

‘Maybe if you take some time to better study the ways of the Eunuch.’ Quinn applies reason but is met with an Icy glare from her mate. 

_ Busted sister!  _ Sam teases his sister within the bond but Rachel is privy to everything Quinn is.

‘Sam if you would be so kind as to but out of our household!’ Rachel begins with another rant but Russell has heard enough, for now, the noise inside his head is driving him mad.

‘OK, so will the heads of the households meet me in ten minutes in my office, thank you.’ Russell ends all the noise and leaves the room with Judi and Shelby in tow. 

 

‘Russ, we were going into town with Santana, do you need anything?’ Judi asks her stressed out mate, she knows when to make herself scarce. 

‘No my love.’ He gently kisses her lips centering himself in the feeling of love he has for this woman. ‘Go spoil yourselves, Shelby if Richard wants to study with the Eunuch he has my blessing, I think it will be a good move for him.’ Russell has taken to the boy, he has a good head for things and will be an asset in the future should he chose to serve the clan.

‘Thank you Sir, he has his heart set.’ Shelby bows her head in respect.

‘That is settled then, I will have Quinn deal with her mate, I know I am not one to attempt that!’ Russell smiles at the women then heads for his office leaving them to arrange their own day.

‘You heard him, let's go spoil ourselves, shall we begin with the salon and take it from there?’ Judi suggests she had never had a girlfriend before and having Shelby has been a blessing. 

 

Sue checks her watch as she heads for the office, she is late and she despises being the last into a room. 

When the door opens the occupants of the room know there is only Sue left to arrive and so are not surprised to see her enter, ‘Please excuse my late arrival.’ Sue shows her submission to Russell. 

‘Well now we are all her together let’s get started, I have made some decisions regarding this family in the last couple of months and have decided after much thought to begin a process of stepping back from the day to day running of Fabray Inc.’ Sebastian looks for his siblings, did they know about this beforehand.

‘I have spoken to all of you individually recently about your hopes for the future and where you would like to see us head as a clan and as a company going forward,’ Russell gives his daughter his complete attention for a moment. ‘I have taken everything into account that all of you said and I believe now is the right time for me to make these changes.’ 

The room remains silent for him, he has spoken with them all and everyone had pulled him in their own selfish direction.

‘Ava, I am grateful you have stayed with the family and should you choose to remain with us an extension to the east wing will be undertaken, this will give you and your household quarters of a standard which matches the rest of the clan.’ Ava nods in thanks but doesn’t want to tip her hand, her children are keen to stay they enjoy being treated like royalty locally and have a number of potential business deals in the offing. 

‘Burt, I know you have been at times overwhelmed by the day to day here on the estate, this is a mammoth task which I have all but ignored unless it is to gripe about decor or lightbulbs.’ Burt chuckles a little, Russell couldn’t change his own socks without Judi and they all know this. ‘I propose you take a full seat on the board at the headquarters and look at our logistics businesses, take them on completely in this file is a projected budget for the next five years, do with it as you see fit.’ Burt nods for this, he asked to be given a roll away from the estate, he is feeling out of the loop socially and being at hand for everyone all the time was making things worse for him.

‘Sebastian, you have matured son and I am so very proud of you for the way you have shown your loyalty to this family, I have taken on board your comments about responsibility and so on the condition you take a claim and show temperance with them you will take a seat with the company alongside Sam and oversee the properties, I know you had a retail idea in mind and I am not dismissing this, I only ask that you cut your teeth in the gap your sister left behind.’ Sebastian smiles and nods then turns to his sister, Quinn is happy for him and he is grateful because he knows she has pushed for him to be a part of the company just as much as he has. 

‘Sam, the idea you have for the lake, do it.’ Sam looks shocked but Russell smiles brightly at him, ‘You have good ideas and Santana has a good business brain so you both can be involved, of course, I ask that you help with Sebastian’s transition though also.’ Sam agrees he can do that no problem. 

‘Now Sue and I will not be giving up our seats on the council just yet, I will, however, be spending more time on the estate than previously and so that you all know what I am planning.’ Russell has learned from his wife and adds a dramatic pause, ‘I have a dream to change the status of humans and this will be where I want my main focus to lay.’ 

Quinn has heard this, she knows her father has been moved and affected by the uprising and the loss of their sister Britney.

‘I believe the inequalities we live with have caused many of the clans to become callous and cruel towards the humans that should be under their care, all the clans need humans for our survival and we have all been complacent in their treatment.’ Russell has a plan to rewrite the rules but he has a long road ahead of him to make the other clans even consider any changes. 

Russell looks to his sister, they have agreed on all of this and it is now her turn to take the lead. ‘I shall be undertaking a period of reflection.’ She begins with the most shocking part of her decision. ‘I am blessed with amazing children whom I need to bond with and so I shall be doing this in the near future, I shall also take a step back within the companies to allow the younger generation to prove themselves.’ Ava is shocked by this and unlike their brother, Sue will receive interruptions. 

‘Wait, you can’t just swan off away from the clan and do your own thing, who will support Russell in his endeavors.’ Ava speaks.

‘I am taking on these roles Aunty, don’t fret I have it all in hand.’ Quinn motions for Sue to continue and despite their initial shock, the others in the room stay silent.

‘It will not be forever and this is a time I have neglected to take for many years, I need to decide if this is the time I perhaps look for more children and if so I have many decisions to make within my own household.’ Russell pats his sister’s back to comfort her guilt, she has done all she can for this clan and now she must focus on her future and the future of her household. 

‘So we all have a plan, in the more minor details, much of the estate management will fall to David.’ Sam nods, Dave has taken to this role with enthusiasm. ‘I am led to believe Quinn will be taking Ryder and Jake as full-time chattels and that we shall also be welcoming a new member to the family in due course.’ The loss of Tina left Quinn with a gap in her feed regime and so she has looked for a replacement to Tina and needs the added strength Ryder and Jake will give her. 

‘Sir, may I speak?’ Sebastian waits until his father acknowledges him to continue, ‘I would very much like mother to help me choose a claim, I believe I have narrowed it down but her input would be greatly appreciated.’ Sebastian is scared he will get it wrong this time and all the blame would fall on his shoulders.

‘Of course, remember to use her wisely she might end up picking a small noisy diva for you.’ Quinn smiles, she knows her father loves Rachel but she also knows her rapid-fire talking drives him to distraction most days. 

‘If I had her I would cherish every moment Sir.’ Sam coughs and makes a face at Quinn who just looks proud as she always does in relation to her mate. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cracks are appearing in Quinn's life as the pressure mounts from her increasing workload and her jealousy rears it's ugly head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own glee or characters

‘Are you ever going to be ready my love?’ Quinn calls her mate again, ‘We will have to cut dinner short at this rate or miss the start of the show.’

Quinn and Rachel are enjoying a date day, they have instigated them as a way of balancing out Quinn’s workload with their commitment to each other. Today they have shopped then walked the lake together and now they are off to see a show given by Rachel’s favorite artist Jesse St James.

‘Ready, ready!’ Rachel finally comes to the main room dressed to the nines in a black and gold dress with very high heels which Quinn spots straight away. ‘Eyes up Gyste we are going to this concert even if you need to cover a raging hard-on all night!’ Rachel dismisses the sudden lust she feels emanating from Quinn.

‘Fine, we leave now, doesn’t mean you can’t help me out in the town car!’ Rachel looks scandalized at this suggestion from Quinn but Quinn is quick to add, ‘You used to love our little car rides.’

Rachel tries to hide her smile, ‘I will not be attending such a special evening with the scent of you all over me!’

They both leave the room hand in hand, Quinn is hopeful but realistic for her chances tonight.

 

The gala hall is packed full to the rafters, Quinn had secured tickets for her and Rachel and some of the others in their household too but she and Rachel will sit together in a private stall whilst, Shelby, Richard, Marley, and Dave are in the center section with very good views of Jesse performing.

Rachel is loving the show, she is completely engrossed with the artist on the stage, Jesse has such a stage presence that she is blown away that a human can command such a following.

Marley looks to the stall again, Quinn looks bored whilst Rachel never takes her eyes off the stage or the performance. Marley is working more and more with Quinn of late, as Quinn is asked to take on much of Sue’s work so Marley is being brought into the inner circle in the research team.

Quinn feels the eyes on her, she is used to people staring either because they have never seen a Blood Gyste and they expect the worst or because she is striking in her appearance, either way, she has come to somewhat expect the attention but tonight she knows one of the watchers has a familiar feel.

Quinn turns her attention from the stage and catches Marley looking at her again, she smirks somewhat then returns her eyes to Jesse on the stage.

Marley has embarrassed herself again in front of Quinn, yesterday whilst in the labs, she spilled liquid all down her and she is aware her shirt became see-through, she saw Quinn looking at her again then.

‘Do you have an admirer?’ Rachel leans in to ask her mate, Rachel has become an expert at reading Quinn’s little ticks and emotions. ‘You know how it makes me jealous, I do hope you are not encouraging it?’ Rachel tries to imitate the Fabray eyebrow raise but it isn’t as effective as Quinn’s version.

Quinn smiles _I only have eyes for you little star._ Quinn uses the bond more often than Rachel and for good measure shares her thoughts on Rachel’s shoes.

‘Pervert!’ Rachel pushes Quinn’s wandering hand from her lap.

Quinn laughs but catches Marley again in the corner of her eye watching them closely, Quinn likes attention from women but so far Rachel is the only woman for her.

 

The after show party is in full swing, Shelby is completely overawed by the event and stays close to Dave for protection and comfort.

‘Relax, you are a Fabray claim remember and Santana always says that makes us special.’ Dave thinks he may lose the feeling in his arm if Shelby clings any tighter to his side.

Shelby smiles at the tall claim but doesn’t settle until her daughter rejoins them with drinks. ‘Mom did you see the production on his show, a-maz-ing!’ Rachel gushes again.

Shelby smiles she loves that her daughter can be so taken by a performance, ‘The show is a masterpiece.’

‘Who is the masterpiece.’ Quinn asks she has been looking for Jesse, an introduction is to be made and she is getting impatient now.

‘The show Quinn or did you have your eyes elsewhere?’ Rachel is off with Quinn Shelby can feel it but cannot tell what the problem is.

‘Yes, I paid a small fortune to watch the crowd dear!’ Quinn gripes.

‘Miss Fabray, Ma’am.’ A short guy with glasses approaches them, ‘Ma’am Jesse would like to meet you, may I bring him over?’

Rachel starts to vibrate with excitement and Quinn is tempted to tease her some more and say no but they are here mainly for this introduction. ‘Thank you, please we look forward to meeting Mr St James.’

Despite this being Jesse’s night the Imp who had approached knew all too well the etiquette of dealing with High blood families and he has assured Jesse that being rude to Quinn would only see him injured or killed.

‘Now Quinn don’t embarrass me.’ Rachel begins ‘I have waited for this moment maybe all of my life.’

Quinn highly doubts that, no-one knew Jesse until 18 months ago when he had his first cover hit. ‘As if I ever would Rach.’ Quinn is pissed off at the guy and she hasn’t even met him yet.

Shelby gets the feeling again, she is aware of the etiquette to meeting a high blood Gyste, she just hopes Jesse is aware of the rules too or this could get messy.

Jesse is led toward the group greeting the crowd as he does so, as he gets closer her is met with a deep hazel stare and he shivers somewhat, his team has briefed him on Quinn Fabray but he didn’t expect what she is in the flesh.

‘Ma’am, Miss Fabray, please may I introduce Mr. Jesse St James.’ The assistant is efficient in his intro.

‘Mr. St James, what a fabulous show, my mate and I we in awe of you, may I introduce her to you, this is Rachel Berry-Fabray my blood mate.’ Quinn adds to her title as she feels jealousy of Rachel’s pleasure in meeting with her latest hero.

Jesse is desperately trying to remember the words he was told, does he shake hands or not, he plays it safe. ‘Why Quinn you are so lucky, may I shake the hand of the fairest maiden in the room?’

Shelby feels like barfing on her own shoes, he is a complete dick! ‘I’m her mother, Shelby, so very nice to meet you.’ Quinn is grateful for the interruption, touching Rachel is out of the question in such a setting.

‘I can see your daughter is blessed with her mother’s good genes.’ Jesse preens.

The rest of the meeting goes well, Shelby and Marley are able to keep Jesse from insulting Quinn by touching her mate and Rachel is thrilled to leave with a number for Jesse so they can discuss music and the possibility of a musical career for Rachel in the future.

 

Once back at the house the group goes to their separate quarters, Quinn walks briskly to the room calming her annoyance as she moves.

Rachel knows a mood when she sees one and is trying to work a way of solving the problem before it becomes a full-blown fight.

Quinn goes straight to the bathroom to compose her thoughts, Jesse may not have touched Rachel but his eyes were all over her and she is furious about it all.

 

Once out of the bathroom Quinn takes a breath, he mate lays in the middle of their bed awaiting her naked for her pleasure. ‘You know you don’t have to do this Rach..’ Quinn loves her little diva with all her heart and would love nothing more than to show her that love but this bothers the Gyste, ‘I was angry he looked at you, I am angry when anyone looks at you but you don’t need to offer yourself to me like this.’

Quinn takes a blanket from the chair in the corner and walks from the room, she cannot trust herself tonight not to claim Rachel as her own over and over and Quinn knows this would be to prove a point and nothing more. ‘I need to accept others look at you my love and work harder to control my emotions!’

Rachel stares at the now closed door, maybe she was trying to end an argument with the promise of sex but she needed to feel connected to her mate again too. She will leave the subject tonight but will return to this maybe after Quinn has been to the Guru tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, have a comment I love to read the feedback


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The household all begin to come to terms with their new roles and how this changes the clan for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write from the dark spaces of my mind and do not own Glee or it's characters

Santana is making arrangements for her household, Dave needs things for his new room and she would like to decorate a little since they have been given some extra space. The quarters were to Judi’s taste as Sam never bothered with stamping his own tastes in any way, Santana would like a theme running through them all but is yet to decide on her final look for the rooms.

‘Did you get the other money from the safe?’ Sam is distracted he will need to work with Quinn and Sebastian today at the company and without his mate he worries he will be overridden on most decisions. 

‘Yes all of it, there is nothing in there now you need to go to the bank and fetch some more.’ Santana is a little annoyed she has no access to the Fabray accounts and so has to ask Sam for cash when they need it but it is the way.

‘I’ll do it later, does Dave have a grey suit?’ Sam asks randomly.

Santana thinks for a moment, ‘That reminds me who do we call about storage? I want some of those cupboards Quinn and Rachel have for the closet.’ Santana writes more on her list, ‘Grey suit? Yes Armani one that matches yours, you look like dicks dressed the same though.’ 

Sam frowns at this, he thought they looked cute, ‘Oh right, well can you get him something that isn’t the same but compliments what I wear.’ 

‘Sure, is there a special occasion I need to know about?’ Santana usually has a hand on everything coming up. 

‘Just an open evening at my club, thought he would enjoy a night out.’ Sam tries hard to share his time between the pair.

‘Good plan, then can we go to the new steakhouse that opened up on the eastside?’ Santana has heard good things but Rachel has refused to set up a double date for them as she is disgusted when Quinn eats meat like a savage. 

‘Do you think I should push for the larger office? I mean I know I have one but I checked and there is a spare with the reshuffle and it is about seven feet larger, that says important right?’ Sam has so many of these things to sort out over the next few weeks he has no idea how Quinn makes time for everyone. 

‘Does it have a bathroom?’ Sam shakes his head ‘Then no you don’t want it, you know how messy I get when I pop in to help you.’ Santana smirks as she slides towards her Mate, running her fingers seductively down and across the front of his pants to squeeze and tease him.

‘Of course.’ Sam mumbles distracted now by her touch, he can feel her deep within and they are both still adjusting to the new bond the mating brought them. ‘Any chance of a quickie?’ He asks in his best cheeky tone.

Santana just roars laughing as she scoots away to get on with her day leaving a smiling Sam to get on with his alone. 

 

‘How was the concert?’ Judi asks Shelby as they settle in to look at the day's papers and appointments.

‘Oh fantastic, Jesse is an amazing performer he really knows how to connect with the audience.’ Shelby had a great time, she is finding many of the transitions real hard being on the estate but the increased freedoms are by far her favorite. 

‘Great, do you think we should ask him to perform at the benefit later in the year, wouldn’t that be a coo?’ Now that things are settling down with the clans Judi is keen to bring normality back to the social scene she loves. 

Shelby looks a little stunned, ‘Could you really do that?’ 

‘Of course, nowadays if I can’t get things with Russell’s name I use Quinn, she doesn’t mind.’  Judi can barely remember a time in her life when she wasn’t the mate to a high-blood and so she takes so much for granted, ‘One other thing, would you like to accompany Russ to the gala next week, I could go but I am really keen to take Mike to the kiddie group he has been asking about, Quinn and Rachel must attend the gala but I can miss this one.’ 

Shelby is now really confused, she doesn’t say a thing for a while and Judi tries to let her settle things in her mind before butting in but she is impatient. ‘Shelby, hey it’s ok, you are his claim it would be completely normal for you to go with him.’ 

‘I just, well the claim was made I know but I thought, I just… I don’t…’ Shelby stutters and is close to panic.

Suddenly the light bulb flashes on for Judi and she too stammers a little, ‘Oh Gods, no... I didn’t… we aren’t asking that of you, oh no I messed this up it’s just we have been getting along like old friends and I swear I just take things for granted we have discussed them.’ Judi sees Shelby begin to relax a little and decides to clear this up. ‘OK, I know Gyste have a reputation where infidelity is concerned but no he and I have not claimed you to take on any of that sort of thing with my mate.’ 

Shelby closes her eyes and takes some deep breaths, even Phillip in his lessons about etiquette with her couldn’t assure her she wasn’t here to service the sexual needs of her Gyste master. ‘I am sorry, I know we discuss so much but that is something we haven’t touched on and I guess I just thought…. I have no idea what I was thinking actually.’ Shelby confesses.

‘Right well, Russell will not be expecting anything like that from you I promise, please just relax around him he is a fun guy when you get to know him more.’ Maybe she should talk with Russell about spending some time with Shelby. 

 

‘I want that one!’ Quinn rubs the bridge of her nose and attempts to calm herself down. Sebastian is being a prick and everything is turning into a childish battle for no reasons, again she wills Sam to man up and deal with Sebastian better. 

‘Enough, Seb please, look you take the office that Sue used to use, it has good sunlight and good access and you can decorate to your tastes.’ Quinn has heard enough. ‘Sam stay put in your office and do whatever you want to the furnishings, now can we move past this and actually start the business of the day.’ Quinn has been here three hours and so far nothing has been settled, at this rate she is never getting home.

‘But I just…’ Sebastian begins.

‘Enough, you have more than you need here Seb.’ Sam finally uses the bond, ‘You can decorate and fancy up to your heart’s content now can we like Quinn said move on!’ 

Both the twins smirk a little at their brother he can do it when he tries. ‘Fine, point made.’ Sebastian replies. 

‘All I want to establish is that I am allowing Santana to be here when she wants and she has an equal say on the leisure park with me.’ Sam wanted to make that a condition. 

Both Quinn and Sebastian nod in agreement, ‘As long as you keep her in your business and away from mine I am happy to concede this and take Santana’s direction on this one aspect of the business.’ Sebastian will be ensuring she doesn’t boss him around like she seems to with Sam. 

Sam rolls his eyes but nods, one day Sebastian will be happy to not have the last word. 

 

Dilas groans again as the new group of Eunuch all return to their seats, so far this morning he has been frustrated beyond belief by all the mistakes they make. Phillip had arranged a new influx of Eunuch for the estate but as he is now taking a back seat the same as Russell this leaves these inductions to Dilas and he is struggling with it all. 

‘Great now can we all focus on page thirty of the manual, we are looking at the rules surrounding approaching a Gyste, this is one that could get you killed.’ Dilas is sick of nice and goes for shock and awe to keep the young Eunuch in line. 

 

The three Fabray children are having lunch together at a restaurant close to the offices, they can decide that food is important and good food will help them concentrate better this afternoon. Quinn is also keen to have neutral ground to decide the final changes to the company titles. ‘Seb can we agree to have the outlines for this quarter finished by this time next week, I really want to break the back of the work asap!’ Quinn has some tough work at the council coming up with the elections for the new Domus and her continued wish to modernize the council this year. 

Sebastian finishes his wine, ‘Yes I can do that, actually, I have been working on a few thoughts already so I can get them all to you by the end of the week. Sebastian sees this as his big chance and he isn’t going to mess it up.

‘Just give it to me Monday, I don’t want to be thinking about work over the weekend, I want some time with Rachel.’ Quinn needs to reassess what is happening to the mated pair she has been reading some of the histories of the Gyste and knows once mated they can drift apart if not careful.

‘Problems in happy town?’ Sebastian smirks, ‘Just knock her up!’ 

Sam sniggers but then remembers his drive for children with Santana, Quinn stares daggers at both of them. ‘If only life were that simple, you do realise carrying our children can kill a human right?’ Quinn is angry and both brothers feel the rise in temperature. ‘I have only just mated with her, I don’t want to be responsible for killing her!’ The brother's shiver, Quinn’s tone scares the shit out of them and they shrink back. 

Quinn realises the Gyste is coming and tries to relax, ‘Sorry, the need to bear children is strong for both of us but I am scared something will happen to her and for now, I want Rachel to find her own way not be a vessel for the next generation.’ Quinn is hiding much of her fears from Rachel and she knows this is part of their problem. 

‘Technically you have Brit’s kids, I mean you are now claimer to Mike so there is no rush surely.’ Sam tries to offer some reason to the fear Quinn has, he is just waiting for Santana to be ready, he is more than ready to have her carry his child and as she is technically an Imp there will be little risk for her.

‘The drive in both of us is strong though and I am conflicted.’ Quinn hopes her brothers can understand a little better than Rachel does. 

Surprisingly it is Sebastian who offers the best argument, ‘You must communicate this to her, if the hormones are saying she is ready this will be a huge pull on her power of reason and if she thinks you are stalling for no reason she will end up resenting you making her wait, so talk to her.’ 

Both Quinn and Sam hate it when Sebastian is right but he is this time and Quinn knows unless she talks things through with Rachel soon they are going to end up fighting. 

 

Kurt bounces onto the main floor of Fabray Inc. he needs some input from Quinn on a new venture but he is sure she will love it, he is surprised when he sees Marley Rose through the glass of Quinn’s office. He watches for a moment, Marley is overly attentive with Quinn most of the time, he and Blaine had only been talking about it last night and now here she is practically draped over Quinn in broad daylight. 

Quinn smiles at Marley, she is settled now into the research department and slowly taking the lead on many of the projects Holly had overseen. Quinn needs an insider who understands what is going on but can relay it back to Quinn in a fashion she can better understand than medical jargon. This week they have made a major breakthrough on the black flu virus that has been blighting the vampire families in recent years, the vampires will pay handsomely for a cure or treatment so Quinn knows this would help her in the council no end. 

Kurt knocks at the door and Quinn waves him in not noticing Marley jumping back from her when she realises a family member is there, ‘Hey Kurt, how are things?’ Quinn asks as she moves to greet her cousin. 

Kurt eyes Marley with suspicion but greets Quinn with a smile, ‘I have an opportunity I want to run by you, business matters you understand.’ He directs the last part at Marley and she arranges her papers to leave.

‘OK, thank you, Marley, we can pick this up when the next set of tests are completed.’ Quinn is professional in her treatment of her subordinates. 

Once she has left Kurt settles on the sofa with Quinn, ‘Will she be running the research department next?’ He asks.

‘Holly will still oversee much of it especially the military side of things, I don’t think Sue will ever truly let that side go and I am fine with that, I would prefer Marley to focus on the medical benefits, that is her strength.’ Quinn seems oblivious to Kurt’s mind and so he leaves it for now. 

‘So I have an opportunity to travel to France to show some of my designs, the shows over there are very prestigious as you know.’ Kurt needs permission from Quinn or Russell to travel with his household still so he thought he would try Quinn first. 

‘OK, what arrangements do you need me to sign off on?’ Quinn looks over a few of Kurt’s papers but doesn’t really study them, ‘Look I know my Father liked to micromanage everything that went on but I know nothing of fashion.’ Kurt sniggers because Quinn mainly still wears just black and the same style she has always worn. ‘You are the family expert in this field and if a jolly to Paris will help the family brand then I approve.’ 

Kurt isn’t happy Quinn seems to think his fashion line is a hobby but he will take the free pass this time, ‘Thank you, I will need help with the paperwork for my household, I thought Blaine, Nicole, and Brice would be with me.’ Like the other members of the family, Kurt has people who care and attend to him and of course a claim in Blaine. 

‘Seems reasonable, let me have a look and check protocol for the area then get back to you, what are the dates again?’ Quinn tries to spot them in Kurt’s things.

‘Last weekend of next month, for a week.’ Kurt clarifies for her. 

‘OK, good I’ll look at these so I know the details then get back to you, now you should be going because Rachel has just entered the building and she seems pissed at something.’ 

Kurt laughs, he doesn’t fully understand the bond the pair has, no one does yet but he can tell when Quinn is lying and he senses Rachel’s mood is slightly different to pissed judging by his cousin squirming in her seat.

 

Rachel has been to the dance class she wanted to attend in town, while there she worked up quite a sweat and had the sudden urge to visit her Mate. Right now she doesn’t care if they are fighting or not all she wants is Quinn!

‘Hey, Rachel good to see you.’ Kurt says as they pass by the elevators.

‘You look good Kurt.’ Rachel doesn’t actually look at him or really acknowledge him in her quest to find Quinn.

 

The door to her office swings violently back and Quinn raises an eyebrow as her mate sweeps in, Quinn has remained seated on the couch and Rachel couldn’t be happier for this.

She moves to where Quinn is standing before her she bends at the waist and pulls her panties down in a hurry, the panties Quinn can see are damp but she can sense Rachel’s only focus is her and so isn’t bothered she has arrived in this state. 

Rachel straddles her mate without a passing comment and pulls them together into a deep and tongue filled kiss, Quinn gets with the program immediately and reaches for her phone and the app that controls her office. 

Pulling back from Rachel for just a moment on the phone she locks the doors and darkens the glass so they are in private the rest of the floor will also be secured where Quinn has control to allow them privacy. Of course, should her brother ignore the signs once they are close enough they will be all too aware what Quinn and Rachel have planned? 

‘One-week Gyste,’ Rachel drawls at her mate. ‘Seven whole days and nights you have neglected the most important tasks you have as my mate.’ 

Quinn smirks, ‘What is this important task I have?’ 

‘Pleasing me!’ Rachel plunges her tongue back into Quinn’s mouth and they both moan. 

Rachel is quickly stripped of the garments in Quinn’s way as the Gyste begins to rise and they both allow the bond to take over them. 

Quinn is determined to taste as much of the flesh on offer to her today and sets about her task, firstly flipping them around and laying Rachel out on the couch, kneeling beside her Quinn holds her firmly in place and sets about recalling all the things that drive her wild about the little diva.

‘I love your skin baby, I love how you darken in the sunshine and it defines all the most delicious parts of you for me.’ Quinn begins licking Rachel’s abs then moves up towards her chest. ‘These little titties that are perfect for my needs.’ Quinn takes one nipple into her mouth and nips at the tips making Rachel moan again and then push herself closer to her lover. ‘This is what we were mated for, to feel this connection between us.’ Quinn is getting caught up in the bond and the feeling of euphoria that it brings and her eyes flip in colour to the yellow of the Gyste.

Rachel has her eyes closed as she feels the touches Quinn is lavishing on her, she can feel the wandering hands spreading her eager legs apart and they both smell the arousal of the human as her knees drop to either side.

‘Fuck how desperate have you been little one?’ Quinn isn’t looking for an answer which is good because Rachel isn’t offering any. Rachel screams out as Quinn roughly plunges her fingers deep inside looking for the spot that will throw Rachel over the edge.

Quinn isn’t going to go slow and savor this nor is she holding back, Rachel was right they have neglected each other and they need to reconnect on the physical level. Whilst she is plunging and twisting inside her writhing mate Quinn uses her other hand to free herself with some relief she is so hard she can feel herself throbbing almost violently. 

Rachel is in ecstasy, Quinn is an expert with her fingers at getting Rachel off and holding back isn’t on the agenda this afternoon, ‘Awww FUCK!’ Rachel hollers out at her first orgasm.

Quinn has a smile at this, she knew it wouldn’t take long and she can see an afternoon of fun for them both. She pulls Rachel’s left leg off the couch and raises herself up to the right level, Rachel flops down but Quinn is strong enough for them both and hauls her closer to her cock and then kisses her scream away as she buries herself to the hilt inside her mate. ‘Fuck Rach, you are on fire.’ Quinn grunts as she sets a furious pace thrusting hard into Rachel’s sopping pussy to get herself some relief too. 

‘Quinn, more, fuck more…. More!’ Rachel is desperate for her Gyste to fill her and pound her this afternoon, desperate to feel the connection they share and she is desperate to feel Quinn release herself into her cunt.

Rachel, look at me!’ Quinn demands, ‘look at your Gyste.’ 

Rachel knows what Quinn wants, she wants to throw them both into an orgasm through the bond but Rachel wants more of the physical too, ‘Quinn, please, harder… more for me please.’ 

Quinn feels ten feet tall when she is able to reduce Rachel to this rampant bitch before her now, she knows how only she can make Rachel whole like this and only Rachel completes her. Quinn allows Rachel her moment and holds off on forcing the bond but she wants to cum and she wants to feel Rachel cum on her cock hard so she reaches between them and tightly pinches Rachel’s clit.

‘You fuck…. Bitch… QUINN!’ Rachel tumbles over the edge with Quinn following pumping as much of herself into the little diva as she can.

Still thrusting only slower now Quinn bites down on her mate in the spot that she once claimed as her own, Rachel is helpless when Quinn does this and they have refined a technique which allows Quinn her primal passions without leaving Rachel too bruised but today Quinn wants the mark to stick and allows her fangs to drop just enough to break the skin.

‘Quinn NO!’ Despite being almost delirious from the pleasure Rachel remembers the mark will stay but today Quinn isn’t stopping and they both cum again then flop together to the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel and Quinn bicker about how a Gyste mate should behave but Quinn is hiding behind her anger

Russell is smirking at his daughter much to the annoyance of his mate who thinks both of them need to grow up, breakfast is quieter today half of the family are off doing their own thing and so only Quinn, Russell and Sam have brought their households to dine.

‘Santana, did you get the swatches for the drapes?’ Rachel asks because she needs to end the silence which means all eyes are on her neck.

‘I found a few but honestly, I have a colour in mind and I cannot match it to anything just yet.’ Santana searched all day yesterday and scoured the internet last night with Sam looking for her dream curtains. 

‘Did you try the Imps in the old quarter?’ Judi asks. ‘I remember finding a little place right at the far end that would dye fabrics to your tastes.’ 

‘Do you think you can remember the name?’ Santana could do with somewhere like that.

‘No nothing is jumping out at me.’ Judi tries hard to remember but it was a long time ago.

‘Quinn, look for your mother, help Santana out.’ Rachel says to her mate who stops eating her bacon for a moment and stares hard at Rachel.

_ Rach, don’t be foolish I can’t go rooting about in the mind of another Gyste’s mate!  _ Quinn bonds only with Rachel but the chastised look on her face tells Russell his daughter is in her mate bond.

‘Maybe we could go together?’ Santana ignores the tension and makes another more palatable suggestion.

‘That would be more appropriate I feel.’ Russell is neutral in his tone but Quinn gets his feelings loud and clear. 

 

‘Rach, what the hell were you thinking?’ Quinn is the first to bring up Rachel’s mistake from breakfast as they close the door to their chambers.

‘I just forgot, I thought it was a good idea is all.’ Rachel defends herself.

Dilas walks into the chamber and senses something off immediately. ‘You need to remember, Gods alive Rach if my father thought for one second I had violated his mate in that way he could kill me.’ Quinn’s voice is raising and Rachel is feeling attacked.

‘I said I was sorry Quinn, leave it now.’ She attempts to draw a line under the incident.

Quinn bristles with anger, ‘Am I not fair with you?’ She booms at her mate much to the surprise of both Rachel and Dilas.

‘What the fuck does that mean?’ Rachel is stunned by Quinn’s anger but does not back down.

‘Am I not fair to you?’ Quinn repeats, ‘Do I not treat you with the respect a Gyste mate deserves? Do I not lavish upon you the trappings of a high-blood mate?’ Quinn feels irrationally furious at the way Rachel dismissed her. 

‘Of course, Quinn what is this about I made a mistake have you never made a mistake?’ Rachel rails against the injustice of her mate's anger. 

Quinn steps forward and Dilas moves to get between the pair, he has strict instructions from his mistress that no-one, not even her is to lay a hand on Rachel. 

‘Quinn stop this!’ Rachel tries again, she realises something is off with her mate and that her anger is out of proportion.

Quinn’s eyes have turned and she stares down Dilas, even the Gyste is battling hard with her anger today, ‘Thank you Dilly.’ Quinn says and eyes still blazing turns and leaves the room without another word. 

 

Sue is packing her things for a trip to her first claim and their children after the turmoil of the attacks her other family left for their woodland retreat to center themselves again. The Cheerios had even according to Sue far too much fun in the fighting and needed to calm themselves. 

Holly watches her claimer flit about the room choosing clothes and changing her mind, ‘You don’t usually struggle to make your mind up like this?’ Holly says as Sue removes the same pair of jeans she has moved several times.

‘I know.’ The Gyste says, ‘But since Marley discovered the reaction Margret has to me and we found something to soothe her I have been wondering how things may have been different.’ Sue places another sweater into the case and goes off to look for shoes again.

Holly lets he return before asking, ‘How so?’ 

‘Well I have to admit I blamed so much of the past on Margret blindly but as we now know there is a genuine reason we were unable to bond even for the sake of the children I think I owe her an apology and another shot at this.’ 

Holly for the last ten years has had Sue all to herself, the gulf between her and Margret meant that Holly was never treated like a second claim and mostly lived as the main claim to a high-blood Gyste and enjoyed all the trappings which came with her assumed position. 

‘For ten years Holly I exiled her, I pushed her to live away from the clan who would have protected her and helped her to raise my Cheerios, they lived like second-class citizens and all because I was too caught up in myself to spend the time needed to find a solution to our problems.’ Sue has become depressed over the revelation her first claim was allergic to the blood of the Gyste and that Sue was making her progressively more ill with pushing for more and more children in the hopes a blood gyste would be born, she can only see her failings to Margret and not how this is killing Holly inside. 

‘And what about me?’ Holly is whining she knows she is but she is desperate to have Sue notice her.

‘Holly, surely neither of us is blind to the responsibilities a Gyste has to a claim, do you not think I have wrestled with this decision over and over?’ Sue sits beside Holly and takes her hands holding them close, ‘You have your work and the projects we started together that need to be finished, you have your friends here and a family in our household to take care of you have your life here I could never take you away from all of that.’ Sue kisses her sweetly then rises to continue her task of packing, completely oblivious to the tears is Holly’s eyes.

 

Santana and Dave are in the old quarter looking for Judi’s mystery shop, they have searched most of the general area Judi suggested and are now in the final sector of their search. 

‘Maybe it closed down?’ Dave says for the umpteenth time, He is bored of shopping and searching and listening to Santana talk about her plans and designs.

‘You said that already Dave! You know what maybe it has closed and maybe I am never going to find the shade of blue I have dreamed about for most of my life, I would expect that to be the case as I rarely have the things in life I deserve.’ Santana’s fixation on her status has only become more of an issue since the mating, she is free to come and go as she pleases, Sam makes no demands on her and she can order the whole of the household around without it being a problem but she is still searching for the respect she sees she deserves. 

‘That doesn’t even make sense Santana, we have everything in the world we could desire and we have Sam who is devoted to us both so tell me just what the hell else could you possibly need!’ Dave is now at his wit's end, he cannot spend another moment with her complaining like a baby.

‘Respect!’ Sanatana screams, ‘I want their fucking respect!’ 

 

Rachel and Dilas are sitting in the archive looking for a section on tempers, Dilas has read before about them, in the seminary he had to learn all about the different types a Gyste displays and how best to deal with them. 

‘Here, look at this.’ Rachel hands him a text on the Gyste to look over. ‘It says they are prone to tempers when they feel threatened, maybe that was it do you think Russell threatened her in the family bond?’ 

Dilas finishes the passage, ‘It would be a possibility but in all honesty, I have seen her react to her father in the past and it is usually aimed at him, not the Eunuch.’ Dilas thinks he has the answer but her needs Rachel to find it for herself.

‘Yeah you’re right, I just cannot see why this one small comment made her so mad, I mean she left without saying a word, that is the old Quinn the one I was claimed by.’ Rachel is used to Quinn forgiving her but recently she has not been as forgiving and Rachel is struggling to get anything right of late.

‘Miss why don’t you just arrange a meeting with you both at the guru, Quinn and you can discuss things there openly and the Guru is on hand to negate any tempers?’ Dilas makes the only suggestion he can think of to bring the pair together again quickly.

Rachel takes a moment, ‘I can do that? I thought the Guru was private for the Gyste.’ 

‘Well yes they are but they are also available for you both as a couple.’ Dilas was told by Phillip how Russell and Judi still have sessions with the Guru to resolve their differences.

‘Like counseling?’ Rachel makes a face, ‘I really don’t think Quinn will like that.’ 

‘But you may well like it and she would do anything to keep you happy Miss.’ Dilas uses charm when all else fails and he has been going in circles with Rachel most of the day now.

‘That’s settled then, I will call the Guru, do you have Quinn’s diary there Dilly?’ Rachel is glad she has decided to do something positive for them both.

 

Quinn sits in the center of the prayer mat focussing all her Gyste on a single point, she has been here all day trying to reconcile her temper. She is so tense that she has hardly been able to tap into the Gyste to any benefit. 

‘You are scared, Quinn.’ Guru Marin speaks to her from the other side of the room, ‘I felt it the moment you walked through the door, so tell me what you fear.’ Guru Marin is one of the most highly thought of Guru in the whole Gyste world, he has counseled leaders of industry and heads of the high council all over the world so when he speaks Gyste generally listen.

Quinn is a conundrum to him though, she is far too young to be as strong as she is and the responsibilities she holds are above any of her peers, Russell has always been a good leader but Marin wonders what he is thinking by putting such weight on her young shoulders.

‘What do I have to be fearful of?’ Quinn asks, she tries in these sessions she really does but she is still resistant to let go. ‘You have heard of all the power I am able to tap into.’ Guru Marin acknowledges her words, ‘Then what could I possibly fear, I can melt the mind of my enemies from another room, I can disable even the strongest Vamp at will so tell me what I fear?’ Quinn holds her chin high in defiance. 

Marin takes a moment to study her, she is correct there are so many strengths to her power some of which are still untested so the fear must be coming from closer to home. 

‘Well I feel it is not your father, you respect him greatly but his power holds no fear to you despite what you told Rachel earlier.’ Marin senses a twitch from the Gyste. 

‘I owe my father my respect and Rachel should know that!’ Quinn is raising her voice again and the Guru offers her a look of warning. ‘What I mean is,’ Quinn begins in a much calmer tone. ‘My mate should show my father the same respect I do and her mistake this morning could have cost us both dearly, my father is already uncomfortable with my abilities and to insinuate that I could read my mother’s memories in such a way was foolish.’ 

‘But your reaction was out of proportion.’ Marin reminds her. ‘You have fears, we all do and despite your great strength and growing power you too have fears, my belief is those fears are the root cause of your irrational temper today and your struggle to control your emotions recently.’ 

Quinn regards the Guru carefully, he is wise she has turned to him for help and to fight that help now will do her no favors, ‘I fear my future with Rachel, she is pushing for children and you know this comes with great risk to the human female.’ Quinn is fully aware of the risks, she knows her parents stopped trying for any more children once she and Sebastian were born because of the risks. 

Marin is pleased she is admitting her fears but this is a hard one to solve or help her with, ‘I am aware yes, Rachel is aware though too right?’ Quinn nods but doesn’t speak. ‘So you think she isn’t able to make the decision herself?’ 

Quinn thinks about the question, ‘I worry that the hormonal need for a child will outweigh her common sense, also she is still young and has seen nothing of the world as a free woman.’ 

‘Is she free though if you are not prepared to allow her to make a decision for herself.’ Quinn frowns at this, ‘I understand that you love her and that she is your mate which means more than anything you wish to keep her safe at all costs but you cannot suffocate her with your need to protect her.’ Guru Marin lets his words settle in with the Gyste.

 

Rachel stands at the door to the Guru, she has never actually been here before, she knows Quinn and the other Gyste come regularly, Sebastian is still closely watched but she has never called on the services they offer.

Just as she opens the door it is pulled from the other side and she falls forward into the arms of her Gyste Mate. ‘Rach, were you looking for me?’ Quinn asks as she scoops her lover into her arms.

‘I was..’ Rachel doesn’t know what to say, ‘I was going to arrange a session for both of us together, I thought it might help us.’ 

Quinn watches her mate become uncomfortable, ‘Your neck isn’t as reddened now.’ Quinn smirks at Rachel’s face. 

‘Well, I have makeup that helps.’ Rachel fingers the mark subconsciously. 

‘Go straight in, did you check my diary with Dilas?’ Quinn asks. 

Rachel expected her mate to fight the idea, to complain about being forced into a situation, not of her making. ‘So you will come?’ 

Quinn leans in and kisses Rachel’s cheek, ‘For you, I would fly to the moon and back.’ Quinn leaves her mate with another smile and Rachel goes in to arrange a session for them as a couple. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russell and Shelby begin to forge a relationship together much to the surprise of the claimed human, Judi knows where this can lead and forms her own opinion.

Russell is staring at the wall in his study, he hasn’t written anything all day, he had such great plans for himself and now he has a blank mind and a blank page.

The knock on the door comes as a welcome distraction, ‘come in.’ 

‘Sir, may I speak with you?’ Shelby opens the door enough to peer through.

‘Yes, come on in, I am not busy.’ Russell is happy to chat it takes him out of his funk. ‘Take a seat, I’ll come there.’ He motions for Shelby to sit on the sofa by the window.

‘Thank you.’ Shelby says as she sits and tries to relax. 

‘What can I help you with?’ Russell wonders how to calm his claim who he can feel trembling slightly.

‘Judi asked me to join you at the gala tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to check my outfit before the event?’ Shelby has never done anything like this before and she is nervous to not embarrass her claimer. 

‘Oh OK, well I assume Judi has seen it, I admit I know little about fashion if you want something special to ask Kurt he has all the best contacts.’ Russell should have checked on her before now, he would have done had it been Judi back when she was his claim.

‘Yes we shopped together and she mentioned it was black tie so I will compliment you.’ Shelby sees a twinkle in his eyes she has never noticed before and this helps her to relax somewhat, he has a kindness she wasn’t aware of before.

Russell senses her relax, ‘What changed?’ Shelby offers a quizzical look, ‘you relaxed, what changed for you to suddenly relax in my presence.’ Russell is interested he knows, in general, he intimidates no matter how hard he tries.

‘I don’t know, you just looked kind is all, that’s the only way I can explain it.’ She smiles at him.

‘It must have been a reflex, I often try to look open and Judi says I look constipated so let’s agree you bring it out of me, may I ask something of you?’ Russell has a thought.

‘Of course, anything you need.’ Shelby is happier than she has ever been so anything she can do to repay the Fabray family she will do.

‘Would you stay for a while, just sit and read or something while I write, maybe the block is a lack of company on my part.’ Russell knows it is an odd request and he cannot say why he is asking other than when they were younger Judi would be happy to just sit with him while he worked. 

‘May I go get some things?’ Shelby likes this room the light is good and the sofa comfortable and she needs to read up on some protocols for a blessing coming up.

‘Of course, just let yourself in when you get back, thank you, Shelby.’ Russell smiles, he likes this idea.

 

Marley writhes on the bed, she is so close now just a little more and she will receive her reward for her patience. 

She moves harder against Marley pushing Marley deeper into the bed, holding her with one hand between the shoulders and keeping up a maddening pace as she thrusts in and out of Marley’s aching sex. 

Marley wasn’t going to beg she promised herself this time she would hold out and not beg for her release…. ‘Quinn.’ She whines…

The phone ringing stops Marley’s short breaths and she reaches for the receiver, ‘Yes?’ She is pissed, she was almost there!

‘Marley can you come to infirmary we have a situation.’ Brin the medic on call sounds panicked.

‘Coming!’ Marley hangs up the phone and groans as she slides from her bed, her little private moment will have to wait.

 

At the clinic Mike is standing over Eva and Iris as they play on the floor, he moved to the other side of the house closer to Quinn after the claim and his chambers are spacious but he feels claustrophobic most of the time. He has asked for Quinn to come visit with him and he is hoping she will grant him a favor but he knows she has so much on her plate right now she has little time for her nieces.

‘Hey, hello little gyste!’ Quinn strides in and greets the twins in an uncomfortable fashion, Brin is arranging something in the corner and Quinn pays him little attention.

Iris screams at her aunt, she is the most willful of the pair and she is also the loudest. ‘Sorry Quinn, they are kinda angry today.’ Mike apologises, the girls are having some jabs and they are furious about it all.

‘No problem, they are Gyste after all.’ Quinn glares at the twins and they quiet, Quinn turns to Mike with a smirk and wink.

Mike stares at his daughters, he needs to learn that little trick. 

‘So what’s on your mind, Mikey?’ Quinn needs to be at the council in an hour and while she should be spending more time with her claim she could do without watching the twins get their vaccinations.

‘I want to ask if it is possible to get some help,’ He looks to his daughters, he adores them but he is exhausted with caring for them full-time. ‘I wouldn’t bother you but they are full on and I am just so…’ He starts to tear up a little and Quinn stops him. 

‘Here, may I?’ Quinn asks as she raises her hands to his face, Mike nods it is sometimes easier to let Quinn take from his mind what he cannot bring himself to say, Brin watches out of the corner of his eye, he has never seen Quinn in action before. 

Quinn reaches into Mike’s thoughts and sees all the love he has for the girls, she sees he is still mourning their mother and she can see he needs something to break the cycle that has him exhausted.

‘Mike, I will arrange for help today for you, you don’t need to do this alone.’ Quinn still holds his face and offers her comfort. ‘I am sorry Mike, we have let you down but I can do better.’ 

Mike smiles and the twins stare in awe at their aunt, they don’t understand her but they can feel her power. 

‘Hey there little ones,’ Marley enters the room and greets the twins before noticing Quinn in the room but as soon as she does she blushes deeply. ‘Quinn, I didn’t know you were here are you feeling ill?’ 

Quinn looks baffled by Marley, she has no idea what she is talking about and Quinn is also curious about the smell of Marley. ‘Erm no, I’m fine.’ 

Brin comes forward, ‘excuse me, ma’am, I called Marley about some test results.’ The Imp scrunches up his nose, he too can smell Marley and he does not approve not in the least, Brin is a practitioner Imp and has devoted his life to medicine. 

Quinn smiles, that makes more sense to her, ‘Mike I’ll speak with my mother and make arrangements for you.’ Quinn nods to the others in the room including the twins and leaves, she is going to be late for sure now. 

 

Judi knocks once then enters her Mate’s office, she takes a double look at Shelby she wasn’t expecting her to be here. ‘Oh, hello Shelby.’ Russell gets up to greet her, he is much happier now he has a good outline for his work and he is quickly planning his first chapter. 

‘Darling, how was the club.’ Russell kisses her sweetly and she melts into his touch.

‘The usual people plus Ava of course holding court with her children.’ Judi is used to being the center of things at her club and having Ava there means she is no longer the only attraction. 

Shelby is unsure what to do this seems private and she shuffles nervously but Judi seems to ignore her and continues to recount her day to Russell as she moves to sit next to the claim on the sofa.

‘Nicol is not to be trusted Russell, he has plans of his own and from what the vamps were saying he likes to throw his weight around.’ Shelby watches Russell as his mate talks, he gives her one hundred percent of his attention and he is enthralled by her. 

‘Well anyway enough of the club and those bitches, how have you been faring today?’ Judi asks her mate.

‘Very slowly to begin with but then Shelby popped in to ask about tonight’s event and I remembered that old company trick of ours so I asked her to stick around and sure enough the words flowed.’ Russell beams.

Judi turns to Shelby, ‘Gyste are used to people around them all the time, either in their head or following them about so when Russ was struggling to work I would come and hang out with him.’ 

‘It worked with Shelby just the same, she has a calming effect on me I think.’ Russell is glad he took Shelby as a claim now, she has fitted in perfectly.

‘Good, now I know I can leave you in good hands I won’t need to worry so much about you.’ Judi is thrilled, having Shelby around is working just as she had hoped. 

Shelby looks between the pair, she relaxes again a little bit more, this could work just fine. 

 

Rachel calls Quinn’s phone again with no success, she knows Quinn has it turned off when she is at council but she should have been out of her meetings by now.

‘Problem Miss?’ Dilas sees the frustration in Rachel’s features as he comes in to replace the towels in the bathroom.

‘Just Quinn problems, she should have let me know she would be late from the council, you know she is so inconsiderate sometimes.’ Rachel rants as she paces around the room following the Eunuch as he works. 

‘Is that right?’ Quinn makes Rachel jump standing in the doorway.

‘Shit Quinn, when did you get in?’ Rachel catches her breath again. 

Quinn laughs a little, ‘surely you know by now Dilas has a silent bell to signal my arrival, I forgot to turn my phone back on darling I am sorry.’ She moves to her mate scooping her up into a hug.

‘Quinn unhand me this instant!’ Rachel shrieks laughing at the Gyste spinning her about the room.

‘Thank you Dilly, take the rest of the evening we won’t need you.’ Quinn winks at the Eunuch.

‘Oh, why won’t we need him?’ Rachel asks as Quinn pops her back on her feet and takes her suit jacket off.

Quinn smiles, she opens the bond and Rachel knows exactly what the Gyste has on her mind, ‘well then Gyste, show me how much you want it!!’ 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn remains in the dark about her secret admirer, Santana grows more frustrated with her role in the family and Mike welcomes some help with the twins

Rebekah Moore stands before the vast entrance of the Fabray estate with her mouth open and her eyes ablaze with curiosity, her mother told her she would go far one day and today is proof of that. 

When the door opens a tallish guy with a white dress on comes forward to greet her and she takes a step forward to meet him, ‘Miss Rebekah, I am Dilas and I shall be showing you around today, may I take your bag we should start in the staff quarters and get you a room.’ Dilas called in some favours and found Rebekah at short notice for Quinn, she is an experienced chattel and should fit in perfectly with Ryder and Jake.

‘Thanks, jeez this place is a castle right?’ Rebekah has never served in such surroundings before, she last was claimed by a Gytse family in the far north, distant cousins to the Fabray clan but nowhere near as wealthy from the looks of this place. 

‘No a family home I assure you.’ Dilas smiles warmly then leads Rebekah through a second door and to a staircase that will lead them to the staff area and her room. 

 

Marley is making goo-goo eyes at Quinn again and Sebastian would laugh but it is making him sick to his stomach, how Quinn ignores the medic he just cannot fathom. 

‘Then we have the vaccination program for the Imp clans in the rainforest, there is a nasty virus they were unable to isolate but we have been able to source a vaccine and shall begin the process with the tribes next week.’ Marley is proud of her achievements so far, it helps that she has a bottomless budget to explore things. 

‘Good, and the Vamps have they paid up for the measle vaccine yet?’ Quinn brokered that deal herself and she is keen the Jones-Rey leaders make good on their promise. 

‘Yes, ma’am.’ Nicolas says, he has slotted in nicely as her PA at the company and she is pleased so far.

‘Good, so we are done here?’ Quinn is keen to get away from all the blood and virus’ that lurk in the research center. 

Marley offers another smile and flutter of her eyelashes, ‘Yes all caught up, if you might stay behind Sebastian we can do the blood test for the council.’ 

Sebastian cringes, he needs to offer up a sample for the Domus, a regular thing for the Blood-Gyste, they are far too often accused of violent crimes and Sebastian is keen to have his name cleared on the latest one. ‘Sure, drain me!’ He is dramatic for the crowd but he remains relaxed.

Quinn leaves without another word taking Nicolas with her to check on the rest of the projects before she leaves for the council, she has a full diary for the rest of the week but still needs to fit in the Guru session with Rachel tomorrow night. 

 

‘Then he said I have to finish off the arrangements on my own like I am his fucking Eunuch!’ Santana has been complaining to Rachel for an hour, Rachel knows it is an hour because Santana talked all the way through her favorite morning show.

‘I doubt he means it that way Santana, really you fight with him over nothing most of the time, I think you just like arguing.’ Rachel motions to the Eunuch to bring her another coffee. ‘Is it like a foreplay thing with you two?’ 

‘No, what? Is everything about sex to you?’ Santana never thought she would see the day Rachel prized sex higher than she did.

‘Maybe it is, you know we barely ever do it these days..’ Rachel needs to get this off her chest and Santana is mated too so she might understand.

Santana thanks the Eunuch who has brought her a tea, ‘How often is barely ever though Rach?’ 

‘We are down to a couple of times a week, I mean can you imagine how that makes me feel?’ Rachel should maybe wait to discuss this with Quinn at the Guru but now she has Santana here she decides to ask a friend.

‘Well firstly with all the extra work Quinn has been given that seems reasonable and secondly twice a week isn’t that bad Rach.’ Santana spends alternate nights with Sam and they don’t always have sex, she knows Sam is the same with Dave and both of them are satisfied by the Gyste.

‘Quinn used to service me with orgasms every day, a girl gets used to that sort of treatment.’ Rachel pouts.

Dilas walks into the family room where he knows Rachel is with Rebekah, ‘Miss, may I introduce Rebekah Moore to you.’ 

‘A pleasure.’ Rachel says from her chair, ‘Take a seat, thank you Dilas I will call you when we are ready.’ 

Santana gives Rachel a questioning look but Rachel is unphased, ‘Rebekah, tell me about yourself.’ 

Rebekah has been briefed that Quinn will probably not have time to meet with her for a few days but expects her to be shown around the house and interview with her mate, Rebekah has never been through a process like this before but she was warned the Fabray clan are different. 

She sets out her life for Rachel and the other woman and answers questions as they have them, she hopes to be giving a good account of herself for the Mate of Quinn Fabray. 

 

At the council Quinn has a mountain of requests from various clans for meetings and for favours all of which she will get to when she can, firstly though she has a meeting with Leroy Berry in his official capacity of Domus so she is preparing for this by reading the latest on the race for office within the Domus. 

The knock on the door is expected and Quinn is on her feet to greet Leroy as he enters, they have grown as friends since they first met when Leroy was investigating Kurt for murder, Leroy was by his own admission green about the workings of a Blood-Gyste clan back then but he has worked hard on his knowledge since that first time. 

‘Leroy, you look good my friend.’ Quinn shakes his hand firmly and they both give genuine smiles.

‘Quinn, thank you for meeting with me I know how pressed for time you are.’ The council is buzzing with Russell’s decision to stand back from the day to day and leave Quinn as the voice of the Fabray clan in the high council. 

‘Well, I understand you may be looking to step up to the top job at the Domus so I thought I should make time for important friends.’ Quinn is only half joking. 

Leroy smiles as he takes a seat, he knows Quinn won’t ask more of him that is fair and in return, he will afford her the same respect. ‘It is true, I have given this much thought and have decided I should run if I can find enough sponsors of course.’ 

Quinn smiles, ‘Leroy, I do truly consider you a friend and though this back and forth and riddling is usual in the circumstances I will be open with you.’ Quinn allows a Eunuch to serve them coffee, she knows Leroy’s preference and has briefed her staff to cater for him. ‘Now we are alone again, You want my sponsor and I am happy to give it, I shall also inform all the clan who have a vote that you are the Fabray choice, this I do free of return from you, this is an act from me in the belief that you are truly the man for the job and that in the future we have agendas that are closely related. I want to reform the council and the laws and you want to liberalize the Domus so that is where I stand.’ 

Leroy is relieved, coming here today and putting his friendship with the Fabray’s on the line for his nomination has been bothering him, ‘Thank you Quinn, I agree we have much to do in the coming years and most of this will overlap together. I have brought with me a copy of my manifesto so that you could read through it but I assure you there is nothing hidden in my plans which would bring us into conflict.’ Leroy hands Quinn the traditionally bound manifesto which she lays beside her.

‘I have just one small query for your friend,’ Leroy motions for Quinn to continue, ‘Sam has a new role and I have looked closely at his plans for the lake development, from what I can see there may be a problem with the Jones-Rey vamp clan.’ 

‘Go on.’ Leroy was not aware of anything in that area so he is intrigued.

‘Well my brother and his mate have plans to create a vast leisure park and holiday destination on the shoreline, we own all the land in that area and access from the neutral lands is clear.’ Quinn looks on her desk for the paper she had discovered, ‘However I have come across a mineral request from the Jones-Rey clan dating back many years, I believe my grandfather turned down their offer for the land and did some investigating himself, there is a seam of borate which runs through our land there but as you know we have always deferred drilling and mining to the Vamp clan under franchise.’ Leroy nods, so far he is keeping up. ‘My grandfather may have promised future rights in that area which the Vamps wish to call in, now the legality of the papers is disputed and I am mostly leaving this to Sam to work through but I would appreciate your expert eye on this one, I don’t want Sam’s first solo project to fail before he has a chance to prove himself because of a promise made in a club nearly two hundred years ago.’ Quinn has a sad smile, she is aware that she may have to pull the plug on Sam and Santana’s dreams before they get too deep.

‘I shall take the papers and have a look over them, I have a very discreet team whom I can trust to keep this quiet until you know the full story.’ Leroy is pleased Quinn is the head of the family, he has met Santana a number of times and she would start a war over a sandwich she is so hot-headed.

‘Thank you, Leroy I am grateful but be aware regardless of the outcome you still have our sponsor for the vote, I meant what I said about this being a selfless act, when you are installed at the top table you will be there without debts to my family.’ Quinn believes her words, she is against the old ways where favors were called in debts repaid with good favor to a clan. 

 

Santana waits for Sam patiently in their room, she has news but wants to keep it between the two of them, when he walks through the door her beaming smile tells him to open the bond and find out what she has been doing all day.

_ Santana, what have you been plotting that has made you so happy?’  _

_ You wound me Sammy, as if! _

Sam grabs her and pulls her to him,  _ I know that look so give me the details now. _

He attempts to use coercion like Quinn does but he isn’t very good at any of the mind tricks his mating has brought him yet so he reverts to the tried and trusted method of flirting with her.

‘I know what you are trying.’ She tells him with a smile, ‘I am telling you anyway so why waste your moves.’ 

Sam laughs too, he likes when things are playful, she has been stressed with all the changes of late and they have neglected to just have fun together.

‘So on the land where we will put the lake development, there is a mining rig left over from your grandfather so I did some digging so to speak and there is a seam of borate running through the land to the west of the hotel site, that is what the Vamps want.’ Santana is pleased with herself she used all the contacts she has at the council to find the paperwork.

‘So that is what has Marcus so riled up, does he expect to mine the seam?’ Sam was unaware of all of this so he is glad Santana is as nosy as she is.

‘I believe they wanted to yes, he was planning to make an offer to your father a while back but then things took a turn as you know, now he knows we have plans he wants to renegotiate.’ Santana smirks at her mate, surely he is on the same page now.

‘Are you saying we should sell to them?’ He asks.

Santana’s smile beams, ‘well we should see what they have on the table, your sister handed us the land to do with as we chose so if we make a killing that should be ours to keep right?’ Santana has in her mind already spent the profits.

‘I guess.’ Sam stalls, ‘But I thought the holiday park and the lake school were what you wanted, a way to regenerate the area.’ Sam is confused now.

‘Well, the Vamps mine will give the people the jobs they need surely.’ Santana had thought Sam would jump at the chance of a quick buck to prove to his sister he had a business brain. 

‘I guess but my father and Quinn are working to improve the lives of humans, I don’t think working in a Vamp mine is what they envisaged.’ Sam attempts to be reasonable, he can’t just say no to her and crush her spirit on this but he knows this would bring him into direct conflict with Quinn and her more humane plans.

‘Fuck them, they have more wealth than they know what to do with, think about you me and Dave for once we live like the poor relations in this house.’ Santana is mad now, she wants to make a statement tomorrow at breakfast to wipe the smirk from Sebastian’s face.

‘Let me think it over, I liked the resort idea, the land there is beautiful and I cannot see a mine keeping the locals in jobs for long, the Vamps will pillage the resources then move on.’ Sam may not be the brightest but he understands the land and how damaging an open mine would be.

‘You do that, but do it in Dave’s bed, not mine!’ Santana screams at him, he is a weakling she knows this but he should be standing up for her and her dreams just like Quinn does for Rachel. 

Sam doesn’t want to fight with her so he leaves for the rooms Dave occupies, hopefully, she will see reason but if not he will have to be more firm with her and that is never going to be pleasant. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn learns what it is like to feel powerless when Rachel holds all the cards.

Quinn sits back in the chair at the Guru and resigns herself to the fact Rachel is never going to be easy to deal with. ‘All I am saying Quinn is yes you have a responsibility to your sister’s children but how does that warrant another chattel, especially a female one?’ Rachel has spent the session dissecting all of Quinn’s faults as she sees them and Quinn is starting to tire of the whole process.

‘I lost Tina, a female, I replaced Tina, a female with Rebekah, a female, straight swap no agenda and the plus point is she is also a nanny, so she can help Mike out with the twins.’ Quinn really did think she has solved the problem of Mike being exhausted, she didn’t realise she had just created another one for herself.

Guru Marin has watched them so far with little intrusion, he had decided today he would be able to gauge their problems and offer some advice so that next time they could make real progress but Rachel is hard work.

‘I think Quinn is right, she has been reasonable with her choice and Rebekah will be a good solution to the child care needs of Mike, yes you are the mate to a high-blood Gyste but she is also responsible for the care and attention of her claim’ Marin tries again to make Rachel see sense.

‘Oh, that’s how you see it is it?’ Rachel pointedly asks him, ‘Well I see it another way, I see my Blood-Gyste mate laying the foundations of an affair right before my eyes!’ Rachel looks at both of them.

Quinn wants to get up and leave, she wants to get out of the house and scream and maybe beat someone to a pulp to free the screaming Gyste in her mind but she takes another breath and tries to reason with the unreasonable diva once more. ‘Rachel come on, that is just ridiculous and you know it.’ Quinn has had another long day, the council have been pushing at her to make her position known on the subject of human freedoms which means all day long she has had to sit and listen to the rantings of the Vamp families who have the most to lose should a more liberal stance be taken. Then there is the family business which Quinn is discovering has more fingers in more pies than she ever thought possible, under her aunt's leadership they have been increasingly developing more and more weapons and this is troubling Quinn. Now she has to come home to a battle royale with her Mate and she is at her wits end with it all.

Rachel stares deeply at her mate, she knows Quinn is tired she can tell just by the dullness in her eyes but that is no excuse for the way she is belittling her feelings right here in this room. ‘What is wrong Quinn, is being liberal ok only when it is to make you look good at the council, I bet in actual fact at home you would prefer I was seen and never heard, just trotted out like a doll when you needed a pretty face or a hole to fuck!’

‘Enough! Rachel if this is really how you see me, if you truly believe I am out fucking the help at every opportunity or that I treat you like a slave then you know what…’ Quinn lets her eyes flicker in anger. ‘I give you all the freedom you want, I will move into the apartments at the colonial building and you can stay here living the life you so obviously want without me, I will hold up my end of the bargain and provide you with all the trappings of a high-blood mate but I will not be here to carry on this pointless war of words with you.’ Quinn rises from her chair and faces Rachel full on. ‘I have never even looked at another woman since we were bonded, I just don’t think that way but I guess no matter what I say you will always revert to treating me like the Gyste animal you always thought I was, I give you your freedom Rachel, I hope it makes you happy.’ With that Quinn leaves a stunned Guru Marin and Rachel sitting in the room and storms out.

 

Russell feels a pull in the bond and shudders a little, Shelby is close enough to him to feel the oddness of his movement and the first to comment, ‘Is there something wrong?’ She asks.

Judi looks up from her book to her Mate, ‘Russ what is it?’

Russell takes a moment and tries to focus in on all his family on the estate, he feels Sebastian, Sam is there sleeping, Burt is happy and Eva is with her children, Quinn however is missing from the bond. ‘Do you know where Quinn is this evening?’ Russell asks them both.

‘No, I thought she and Rachel were having some time together at the Guru, I think Rachel is pushing for a child and Quinn has some doubts about them being ready.’ Shelby looks at Judi, how does she know so much about the family all the time.

‘I am not sure what just happened but maybe you should go check on Rachel for me Shelby, Quinn just severed the bond and she only does that when she is in a real mood.’ Russell sends Shelby from the room, he knows Rachel is safe but he is concerned about the status of his daughter.

When Shelby has left Judi turns to him for answers, ‘What happened, how did she break the bond?’ she asks her mate.

‘We are all capable of muting the bond if you like to give us privacy, the kids are usually up to no good when they do it but with Quinn, you can never tell.’ Russell tries again to find his daughter with no success. ‘I know she is close but I cannot focus enough on her to say where it means she is blocking the bond so perhaps she is actually hiding from Rachel.’ Russell and Judi both look concerned.

 

When Shelby gets to the quarters her daughter shares with Quinn she can hear Rachel’s cries from outside in the hallway and lets herself into the room without knocking.

Rachel looks up hoping to see Quinn but it is her mother before her, ‘Mom…. Mom, she has severed our bond…. What am I to do now?’ Rachel sobs.

Dilas comes through from the Eunuch quarters carrying a tray and some tea, ‘Miss, here have some of this it will help you to calm yourself a little. She isn’t far away just try to relax please.’ Dilas pours a drink then sits beside Rachel pulling her close.

Shelby watches this interaction, she has never seen anyone touch her daughter except Quinn before. ‘Should you do that?’ She asks without thinking.

Dilas just has a gentle smile for Shelby in answer as he continues to comfort the sobbing Diva.

‘I just wanted her to tell me why she won’t have a child with me, am I not good enough to bear the child of a Fabray.’ Rachel is still sobbing as she splutters out her words.

‘Rachel don’t be silly, Quinn adores you of course she wants to have babies with you.’ Shelby sits the other side of her daughter and tries to offer her own comfort.

‘No, she has left me…. Abandoned me!’ Rachel wails again.

Dilas can feel Quinn, he knows she is hiding out in the staff quarters like she used to with Tina but he is at a loss why Rachel cannot feel her and doesn’t mention his connection. ‘Miss I am sure this is a misunderstanding, Mistress would never abandon you.’ Dilas tries again.

Shelby looks on at her daughters' grief over an argument with her Gyste and wonders what it must be like to be so hopelessly in love with another person. ‘Honey, Quinn wants you to be happy, if you want a child above all else then I know she will give that to you but she is under the impression you wanted to enjoy your freedoms before settling down into motherhood and you are still so young.’

Rachel seems comforted a little by this and sniffles, ‘She does these little things for me no-one notices, she makes sacrifices for me that I know I should be more grateful for but she makes things so hard for me when I try to talk to her.’

Dilas smiles, he is yet to spend time with Rachel and her mother and see them interacting in this way makes him a little sad, he was taken so young to the Eunuch that he can barely remember any family but Quinn and Rachel. ‘Miss, I will go and speak with Phillip if you wish, have someone find her and reason with her to come home to you.’

Rachel laughs a little, ‘Who would you sacrifice Dilly, I can only imagine Quinn’s reaction to that.’ The little group settles in and Rachel begins to relax somewhat in their company.

 

Quinn has stood in the hallway for ten minutes now weighing up her options, she knows she is right and having another female chattel is reasonable but she wants the fighting with Rachel to end.

‘Quinn, what brings you to the Darkside?’ Marley was returning from the lab to find Quinn standing outside her room.

‘Deciding what is for the best.’ Quinn offers no more.

Marley watches the Gyste stand and decides to try her luck a little, ‘Well do you want to decide with me a little?’ She asks hopefully.

Quinn is so out of sorts with everything and is concentrating on blocking her family and mate she doesn’t pick up on Marley’s thoughts. ‘Yeah sure.’

Marley almost skips to her door and opens it ushering the Gyste into her room, ‘Sorry if it is a little messy, I have been busy.’

‘That’s fine.’ Quinn looks about, she is still hopeless when it comes to understanding that her mess is cleaned for her so she is unaccustomed to an untidy room and looks about. ‘You have a large room.’ Quinn says absentmindedly.

‘Yes, I guess I should thank you for that, I have a large bathroom and I know this is a novelty for the staff here.’ Marley fusses moving things so that Quinn can sit with her.

Quinn replays some of her argument with Rachel again trying to understand how she is unreasonable, she gets that Rachel is jealous, she is jealous and in the bond, things get amplified but she has been faithful.

‘Why were you hanging around on this side tonight?’ Marley asks when she sees Quinn staring into space again.

‘Oh, just Rachel…’ Quinn wonders how to put things to Marley. ‘We are having some issues I guess you can say.’

Marley thinks about her next words quite carefully, ‘I thought Gyste mate for life?’ Is still the best she can do.

‘We do, I guess we are experiencing the differences in our caste is all.’ Quinn feels a jolt in the bond from her father but ignores it for now. ‘When we mated it set off a chain of events and for both of us it is hard to know when is the right time to start a family.’ Quinn explains as best she can.

‘Do you mean because she is human?’ Marley has studied the phenomenon of Gyste and Human reproduction and knows that for human females the risks are great during childbirth and pregnancy.

‘Yes but that is only half the battle with Rachel, where did you grow up Marley?’ Quinn asks, she just realised she knows nothing about Marley really.

‘Well, my parents are both free humans from the Bora clan, they both studied medicine but my mother is an academic and teaches at a university. My Father practices with the Hands team across the country.’ The Hands' team are a group of doctors who treat humans for free all over the territories, they are mixed between Imps and human doctors and have the freedom to travel without being accompanied.

‘So you naturally followed them into medicine.’ Quinn knows how it feels to have expectations thrust on you.

Marley smiles, ‘My father wouldn’t have seen me study anything else, he was pushing from the time I was an infant, teaching me little things to peak my interest.’ Marley was always closer to her mother but her Father set the pace in the family and so she naturally followed them to medical school.

Quinn feels her father again and cannot ignore him this time, ‘Thank you for the hideaway Marley, my father will pitch a fit if I ignore him any longer though so I need to leave.’

‘Of course, anytime you need a human point of view I am here.’ Marley would give anything to be the person Quinn turns to.

As Quinn stands she lets the block fall away and feels a rush as Rachel’s sadness catches up with her when she feels something else, something more familiar when Marley is around. ‘Thanks again.’ Quinn says as she makes her way from the room, this time a little quicker as she feels Marley lusting after her from the room.

 

Russell is in his study, he knows Quinn is on her way and he is tampering down his anger at his daughter. Shelby returned to fill him and Judi in on the happenings between Quinn and Rachel and he is not best pleased to say the least.

‘Dad?’ Quinn lets herself in then waits for her father to speak, she can feel his anger and disappointment.

‘Quinn, where did you go?’ Is all he asks trying to prevent a standoff between them.

‘Initially, I went to have Rebekah removed from the house, then I changed my mind and waited it out.’ Quinn sits in an uneasy way across from Russell.

‘I sent Shelby to Rachel, to comfort her after you walked out of the session.’ Russell remembers how hard it was when he and Judi first mated, everything is so heightened.

‘Thank you for that, I guess she told you what had happened?’ Quinn is never a chatty person and feelings remain locked away.

Russell tries to read his daughter again but all he is getting is fear and he cannot work out why, ‘Quinn for what it is worth I think Rebekah was a good decision, you need to feed on women and not just Jake and Ryder.’ Russell moves a little closer to Quinn. ‘You have always made good decisions where Rachel is concerned so what is going wrong all of a sudden?’

‘Father I know you want me to open up and I have been having regular sessions with Marin to help me with all this but it comes down to fear, I am afraid Rachel will die if she becomes pregnant.’ Quinn lets out a deep breath, she had been holding it all in.

Russell can understand this, he was afraid for Judi from the moment he realised she was pregnant he was a wreck. ‘Quinn we can only protect them so much, they are their own people in the end and the drive to have children is even greater for mated Gyste.’

‘She is so young dad, she hasn’t seen anything of the world yet nor has she achieved for herself half of what she is capable of, I just want her to know there is more to life with me than being the vessel for my offspring. I want babies too I really do but Rachel is my life.’ Quinn is pleading with him to understand.

‘Then that is what you tell her, Quinn you can be too soft with her sometimes, you are still a dominant Gyste and trying to juggle home Quinn and council Quinn may be too much for you at times.’ Russell has left so much for Quinn to do, he has put so much on her shoulders and he feels responsible for some of her problems.

For the first time since she came to the room, Quinn has a small smile, ‘I get it, I can do better.’ Quinn says for the second time recently.

 

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

Russell watches the family eat this morning with a different eye, his mate is happy, his claim is happy and his sons are finding their way for the first time alone but Quinn looks lost.

Judi watches Quinn, she is attentive to Rachel like she is overcompensating for last night. 

‘Rach come with me today into the city I have a few things then we can go look for those shoes you have been coveting.’ Judi is right Quinn is desperately trying to make up for last night, so much so she is suffocating her mate with her presence.

‘I have a meeting with a drama coach, I did tell you this last week.’ Rachel is not trying to be awkward she really has a prearranged meeting.

‘Of course.’ Quinn hasn’t checked the diary today and so only has the appointments she arranged in her head, ‘What time is it, maybe I could come?’ 

Santana eyes the couple, she knows there was a fight last night between them and from the look Russell is giving them Santana knows he must have stepped in. ‘Maybe Rach can go alone and not have an overbearing shadow.’ She quips.

_ Sam take your mate and remind her where she is in this household.  _ Sam shivers as Quinn chastises him through the bond, she has an icy glare for Santana.

‘Come on Dave let’s go get ready, are you coming Santana, we need to be at the club for just after nine.’ Sam isn’t asking and Santana knows that as she rises to follow her Gyste from the room.

Sebastian felt the shiver too but he hasn’t pissed anyone off for days so he knows it is not his problem. ‘Mother, I have narrowed down my search for a claim, would you have time to look over them with me this morning?’ Sebastian has taken charge of the claim search he says he cannot trust his parents after Joe almost killed him.

‘Of course dear, Shelby you might want to come and see how this is done, you might have grandbabies to choose a claim for one day.’ Russell monitors his daughter, she glares at her mother but that is as far as it goes.

 

‘You knew I had the meeting with the drama coach so why humiliate me at breakfast?’ Rachel storms into their chambers.

‘I think humiliate is a little strong Rach.’ Quinn cannot believe the drama is beginning again.

Rachel whips around to face Quinn down again and the fire rages in her eyes, ‘Don’t dismiss me like one of your whores!’ 

Quinn is counting backwards in her head but the rage is coming to match Rachel’s anger she just knows it and in the corner of the room so does Dilas who sees the time has come to stand in the way again, ‘Ma’am may I have a moment with you it is about the Eunuch and it is important I have a word before you leave for the day.’ 

Quinn and Rachel stand staring across the room at each other then Quinn relents and walks away, ‘Yeah, come through to the corridors we can talk there.’ Quinn follows Dilas back through the door to the Eunuch space of the house. 

‘Thanks Dilly, I swear we are both itching to fight recently about anything.’ Quinn follows the Eunuch through the tunnel-like corridors to his space deep in the center of the house. 

‘Ma’am you know I would never disrespect you.’ Dilas begins and Quinn opens their bond to show she believes him, ‘That feeling when you share with me is like I am whole Ma’am.’ Quinn knows what he is talking about and sits on his little sofa which she recognizes used to be in Sam’s room. 

‘I had it stream cleaned.’ Dilas says and Quinn barks out a genuine laugh.

‘Good to know, now do you have any real issues or are you just following my orders to the letter again.’ Quinn and Dilas have continued to catch up regularly and she has been reiterating his role as protector to Rachel no matter what.

‘A little of both Miss Quinn, the Eunuch are restless, the changes in the household have made some nervous but this is secondary Phillip and I are working on a solution for you.’ Quinn is pleased Dilas has taken it upon himself to speak with Phillip and work behind the scenes. ‘The main thing though is a sensitive one, Marley Rose Ma’am’ Dilas leaves the name hanging in the air.

‘I know Dilly, my problem is, Marley really is a brilliant medic and given the hole Sue has left in the company while she finds herself I need her.’ Quinn can see this is not the main problem Dilas has, ‘But I am not blind and I know she is a little take with me.’ Quinn smirks.

‘You are underestimating the problem Miss, she is undermining Miss Rachel in the household.’ Quinn gives Dilas a look, ‘You hadn’t noticed, I can understand that.’ Dilas has eyes even where Quinn cannot see. 

‘Tell me more Dilas, do we have a real problem or is this an infatuation.’ Quinn thought Marley had the hots for her not that she was plotting anything. 

‘It is all behind the scenes ma’am, Marley is working hard but her obsession with you makes her a threat only to your relationship not to the life of Rachel.’ Marley speaks about Rachel and Quinn’s relationship to the staff, this morning she has been boasting how Quinn came to her for guidance as Rachel is not acting as the mate of a Blood-Gyste should and this sort of gossip has consequences for the household.

‘Do you have a suggestion Dilas that means I keep my Mate and my medic or am I looking at sacrificing one of them and that would never be Rachel.’ Quinn is fine with getting rid of Marley from the house to save her relationship but she is valuable to the company. 

‘I do but I am not sure you will like it initially.’ Dilas begins.

 

Sam and Dave both know the storm is coming, they can feel it without the need of a bond, the atmosphere is highly charged as Santana comes back into the room. 

‘Before you begin Santana know this, we are not the enemy here ok!’ Sam tries to pre-empt Santana’s words.

‘I know.’ She is calmer than they expected. ‘I know, I need a little time away I think, nothing serious maybe a weekend in the city in a hotel.’ 

Sam wasn’t expecting that as a solution, ‘OK but what does that achieve.’ 

Santana looks between the two of them, she loves Sam she really does and she is attached to Dave in a way she never thought she would be but she needs space, ‘I am getting touchy with both of you.’ Dave snorts at this, she is prickly at the best of times recently she is venemous. ‘I feel it coming and I cannot control it, I thought I needed to assert myself you know decorate and feel in control but it is more than that and honestly, I am scared Quinn might kill me if I act out like this morning too often.’ 

‘Quinn would understand better if she knew you were having trouble adjusting to your new role but you are correct, the whole household is in a state of flux and we all have a responsibility to do what we can to ease the pressures.’ Sam can see her point of view, Quinn is usually forgiving but his sister is being run ragged and until she is on top of the council and the company and her Rachel worries there is always the risk she will crack. 

‘So you will let me go?’ Santana is shocked Sam doesn’t seem too pissed at her.

‘I will but there will be conditions Santana and you must adhere to them.’ Santana nods, ‘Firstly, you will stay in the living quarters at the company, that way I know where you are sleeping at all times.’ Sam needs some control over his mate to keep up appearances. ‘Next, you will still be on hand for Dave, he mustn’t be kept a prisoner here on the estate because you are not around.’ Santana would never have Dave locked here without an escort, he has benefitted from her new freedoms too since the mating. ‘You will attend all of the blessings and galas as planned and this is without complaint Santana, you have responsibilities to my household and these will not be neglected.’ Sam looks to Dave who seems ok with the rules so far. ‘Finally, you will not humiliate me Santana with anything in the press regarding your behavior, I understand you have needs when it comes to feeding but stay within the guidelines we have agreed on.’ 

Santana smiles brightly at her mate and Dave then launches herself at Sam, ‘Thank you, thank you!’ She beams as she hugs him tightly.

‘This will remain under review though Santana at all times, if this is too much for the household, if it is embarrassing me or Dave you will return and we will find another way to deal with your issues, deal?’ Sam asks her in the hug.

‘I promise, no fuck ups! Thank you too, Dave, I know I have been a bitch.’ She kisses his cheek.

‘How would I tell.’ He says cheekily. 

 

Quinn walks towards the lab with her mate following along not really with her but at her side, as instructed, Quinn is going with Dilas’ idea to make it clear to Marley she has no interest in anyone but Rachel.

She holds the door open for her bemused mate and then follows after, ‘Is Marley around?’ Quinn asks a face she doesn’t actually recognize. 

‘I can get her Ma’am.’ the flustered medic says. 

‘Why are we here anyway.’ Rachel asks, she came because Quinn ordered her to but she has other things to be getting on with. 

‘Had a thought, you are thinking we should start a family soon and I want to check we are both healthy enough.’ Quinn smiles and tries to show comfort through the bond. 

Rachel is confused, Quinn and she have argued over this for weeks and suddenly the Gyste will just give in to her. ‘I am not sure you are telling me the whole truth but I appreciate you conceding a little.’ Rachel says just as Marley Rose enters and Quinn snaps the bond open. 

Rachel twitches, she feels Quinn acutely and so she knows her mate is using the bond for something, at the same time she can feel lust and longing and realizes it is coming from Marley. 

‘Quinn, what a pleasant surprise, Rachel what can I do for you?’ Rachel can feel the false nature of Marley’s greeting and focuses in on her Mate who seems to know what is going on. 

‘Morning Marley, I have asked for you because you would cause me the least issue touching my Mate.’ Marley nods confused by Quinn’s statement. ‘We would like to have a fertility panel run, full works so we might prepare for a pregnancy.’ 

Rachel is intrigued, Marley is flitting emotionally from lust to anger to anguish as Quinn speaks,  _ I want you to see, this is all one sided Rach. _

Rachel’s head whips to look at her mate and she studies Quinn carefully, Rachel has been working on her control of the bond. Quinn is able to read people to reach into them and find the truth of a memory they hoped to hide and Rachel has some abilities transferred by Quinn through the mate bond.  _ I feel your frustration and fear of something but it is hard to focus with her in the room! _

The pair look at Marley who is setting up a station with all the things she needs to do a full blood screen, she is a little surprised Quinn asked her to do it, she could have delegated to one of the lower staff here.

Quinn smiles for Rachel.  _ Dilas says she is on fire for me, he says he avoids her because she is always asking about me.  _ Quinn takes Rachel’s hand and rubs in the comforting manner Rachel likes. 

_ You have never reciprocated though I can tell, ew she is thinking about sex now!  _ Quinn laughs out loud at her mate’s reaction and Marley looks between the two again confused. 

_ You are the only woman whom I lust after Rachel, I promise you this. I know the Gyste may become restless in the years to come but now all she wants is you, preferably barefoot and pregnant and possibly naked….. Yes, naked a lot! _

Rachel elbows the Gyste and sits to have her blood drawn, ‘if I go first I can help if Quinn hulks out when you needle her, not much stops my Quinn from taking what she wants but I have my ways.’ The statement is loaded with meaning for the medic and her emotions betray her poker face attempt at indifference. 

‘Fine, we have a few vials to draw and I will need to run tests for a couple of days to see if you are a suitable match for pregnancy.’ Marley thinks she is making a point. 

‘Quinn’s blood chose me, I am the perfect match for my mate dear I assure you of that,’ Rachel smirks at her lover, she likes this game. 

‘Rachel will be the only one to bear children for me, we can wait until she is strong enough or ready to start, the decision is in her hands.’ Quinn says making sure Marley understands where the powers lay in this relationship. 

 

Russell is on the phone with his sister Sue, he misses having her around but he knows she needs this. ‘When do you expect we will see you again?’ 

‘I have no fixed timetable, Margret and I are attending meetings and having time together but Russ it isn’t the same you know.’ Sue is trying to reconnect with her first claim but they have led very separate lives for a number of years now. 

‘I understand, if it is any consolation Holly is miserable without you!’ Russell has hardly seen her but Judi has been checking like Sue asked.

‘No Russell that does nothing to ease my fears, I worry that I am just making a bad situation worse.’ Sue won’t admit to being miserable without the tall blonde too. 

‘How so?’ Russell is curious, he has claims on the estate he hardly sees and he feels nothing for them other than a sense of duty to clothe and feed them. 

‘Holly makes me feel alive she always has since we first met but with Margret, I am numb to how I feel, perhaps that is what we should work on next.’ Sue answers he own question again and hangs up leaving Russell staring at his phone wondering if his sister has ADD or something similar. 

The door knocks and Russell knows it is Shelby, ‘Come in!’ 

‘Sorry I didn’t know if I could ask but would it be OK for me to read and maybe do some sketching in here again?’ Shelby has been enjoying her time in this room and the light really is good. 

‘Of course, you know you can come anytime as long as I have no meetings but you know how to check those in the diary right?’ Judi has been showing Shelby more and more in the household and she is becoming very comfortable in her small role. 

‘Yes, Judi is with Sebastian at a claim choosing this morning so I stayed behind.’ Judi was polite about it but Shelby would have been at risk at the Vamp house without Russell there. 

‘Probably for the best, Sebastian can be a real ass sometimes and I am sure my mate would spare you that at any cost.’ They both smile and Shelby settles her things on the coffee table by the sofa and sits in her spot.

Just as she does the door flings open and Quinn barrels in, ‘Oh Shelby hi.’ Quinn hadn’t realized her father wasn’t alone. 

‘I should go.’ Shelby makes to leave but is stopped by Russell. 

‘No, stay, sit and relax, I am sure there is nothing Quinn would be hiding from you.’ In the bond he already knows Quinn wouldn’t need Shelby to leave.

Quinn motions for her to sit as well then turns back to her father, ‘On the council who is the old guy with the bad dye job that hides in the shadows most of the time?’ 

Russell takes a moment to try and picture his daughters' quarry, ‘I believe he is part of the Rey clan, his name escapes me but he is a Vamp for sure, is there a problem?’ 

‘He is blocking most of my suggestions but not for himself I feel but I cannot work out who he is working with, Marcus is rarely at the council while he comes to terms with his new role in the clan and the only other new face is Rando Af-Mason.’ As Quinn says his name Shelby shivers and both the Gyste turn to her.

‘Shelby, what is it?’ Russell stands and goes to his claim who he can feel is shaking. ‘Do you know of him?’ 

‘Please don’t tell Rachel.’ Her eyes plead with Quinn and Quinn doesn’t have the heart to tell Shelby there are no secrets between mates so she nods her agreement. ‘He took several of the girls from me, before Rachel and after.’ Shelby looks heartbroken.

‘It’s OK Shelly you are safe now with us and Richard is here and so is Rachel safe and sound.’ Quinn studies her father, he loves this claim, she has not seen him show such compassion before.

Quinn offers a smile, ‘I will not bring it up with Rachel but I cannot lie to her either, my Father is right you are safe now.’ Quinn doesn’t know what else to say. 

‘I am not aware of him has he been on the council long?’ Russell asks.

‘No, there are rumors he has manufactured his place by doing away with the family competition but that is a clan matter, not a council one, he is looking to strengthen his position at every meeting though and he is being a pain.’ Quinn wants to say she might tear his throat out if he threatens his farm stock again but she doesn’t want to scare Shelby anymore that she has already. 

‘So are the vamp clans working together on this?’ Russell has dealt with this for decades, the Vamp clans work as a block on many council votes to improve their position. ‘Have you tried talking with Lou Brightly, he is an old Imp leader from the north but he has far-reaching powers with the high Imp clans and could help to shed light on what they are up to if anything.’ Russell is confident Quinn can handle this but he also is aware that she has yet to prove herself and taking down a Vamp clan would be a mistake at this point. 

‘I can try him, I don’t like this Rando guy, he has an agenda and he avoids me like the plague which would suggest he has some knowledge of my abilities.’ Russell agrees, there are rumors about Quinn of course but not one of the Fabray’s would tip their hand and reveal Quinn has abilities far beyond the usual Gyste. ‘Thanks, Dad, Shelby it is good to see you settling in and spending time with this old grouch makes him easier to deal with so thank you.’ Quinn winks and both Shelby and Russell smile.

 

‘Sam said you are leaving for a while?’ Rachel doesn’t knock just barges in on Santana.

‘Hey Hobbit, yeah I need some space just to get my head straight.’ Santana packs as she talks.

Rachel observes her friend closely, she has no idea how Santana is dealing with the mating, it was hard enough to come to terms with things as a human so Rachel fears for her Succubus friend. ‘Quinn would never have let me out of her sight in the beginning and even now she is overly protective, which I find both annoying and sexy which is confusing.’ Rachel babbles.

‘Sam and I are different and he has Dave too remember, I am a bitch naturally but of late it has taken over a little too much and from reading I understand that the Succubi are solitary creatures usually.’ Santana read many texts on the Succubus to help her deal with her feelings and all say a similar thing, that a large clan setting like the estate is taxing on the hunting instinct the Succubi have. 

‘I understand, well not entirely but I am trying to.’ Rachel offers her smile. ‘Will you be at the blessing at the weekend?’ 

‘Yes I will not miss those and embarrass Sam.’ Santana feels torn in half lately, she wants power and to hunt like a true Succubus but she is also loyal to this family till the end. 

‘OK good, well I will see you then and in the meantime, you know where I am if you need anything.’ Rachel is trying to help.

‘Oh, that reminds me, have you sorted things with Q-ball yet?’ Santana is tired of them fighting but also she knows they are mated for life. 

‘I hope so, I have been a little unfair on her, I thought she was cheating and that was why she wasn’t prepared to have a family yet but I was wrong.’ Rachel looks down at her feet. ‘In truth, she is scared to death of me dying in childbirth and has been acting out about it.’ 

‘But you have that creepy bond thing, couldn’t you tell if she was screwing around on you?’ Santana thought Rachel would be able to smell another woman on Quinn from a mile away. 

‘I guess I was ignoring the signs and reading the ones I saw all wrong, Marley has an unnatural obsession with Quinn so we are dealing with that but she has also remained as she promised honest and faithful to me.’ Rachel should maybe study her Gyste a little more to avoid these things getting out of hand in the future. 

Santana smiles, the little diva must be a handful at the best of times, she can only imagine the hell she has been putting Quinn through of late, ‘Well as long as you are ok I can go have some me time with a clear conscience.’ 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Santana needs to prove herself and she remains true to her word and keeps Sam in the loop. Quinn needs some help from an unlikely ally but does it come with to high a price?

Jesse finishes his set and heads for his dressing room, tonight was an awesome turn out and he really should thank Cassandra again for making all this possible, he is lost in his thoughts as he enters his room and doesn’t see the figure looking over his gifts in the corner but when he does he lets out a scream.

Quinn looks on with a smirk, she forgets sometimes how much fun it is scaring people and Jesse is a wimp with a scream like a girl, ‘Relax Jess I was just visiting.’

‘I erm.. Miss Fabray… Ma’am.’ Jesse has no idea what a Blood-Gyste would want with him and he is certain he insulted Quinn last time they met.

‘Jesse, relax.’ Quinn smiles and Jesse takes a breath, ‘I came here tonight to ask a favor of you actually.’ 

Jesse quirks his brow at this, ‘OK, well if I can assist you in any way I will, of course, I will but I will need to check with Cassandra first.’ 

‘Cassandra?’ Quinn isn’t sure who he is talking about, maybe his agent.

‘My claimer, she is very easy going usually but you are a Gyste and I know there may be some tensions there between you.’ Jesse is rambling but he cannot help it, Quinn is like royalty around these parts and she is so beautiful.

‘Was not aware you were claimed, I mean I guess you must have some sort of sponsor.’ Quinn hadn’t given it much thought but Jesse would need a sponsor to travel freely on tours.

‘Well technically I am a thrall but as you can see.’ Jesse dramatically gestures to himself, ‘Free will!’ 

‘Yes I see that, so Cassandra would I need to approach her rather than you about my favor?’ Quinn is thinking this won’t work, of this Cassandra is involved when Rachel is around Jesse there could be conflict from another clan.

Jesse watches Quinn working it all out in her head, ‘No I can talk with her, she is in Paris that’s in France.’ Jesse states the obvious. ‘We talk every day but I have spoken with her today and she will be sleeping I imagine.’ Quinn just nods along as Jesse talks and talks, he will be a perfect match for Rachel maybe they will tire each other out talking all day long. 

‘Right, so my proposition is I want you to coach Rachel, she has an amazing voice and is a natural diva.’ Quinn says this like it is the most obvious thing in the world.

Jesse takes a moment to think, Cassandra would say this is a great opportunity for them both but he is the one who could end up dead for insulting the mate of a High-Blood Gyste. 

‘You would get a free pass.’ Quinn offers another smile. ‘I mean, I will forgo all the usual protocol and allow Rachel to make all the calls, I trust you to be a gentleman.’ 

Jesse stares open-mouthed at the Gyste, ‘It is like you were reading my mind.’ 

‘Maybe you are obvious, Jesse honestly she has talent and I am not just blinded by my love for her, she is something special.’ Quinn tries to convince him more. 

‘Can I say we give it a trial run.’ Jesse will need to clear this with Cassandra but if Rachel is as good as Quinn claims this could be the next big thing for him. 

‘That could work, just spend a day with her and be honest with her, if she has a chance Jesse I want her to fulfill her potential.’ Quinn is pleased with this so far.

‘OK Miss Fabray we have a deal, obviously, I will speak to Cassandra and she may wish to meet with you first but I am sure you can arrange all these details between the two of you.’ Jesse wants to shake on the deal but is not sure how this works.

Quinn stands and offers her hand to the singer, ‘Thank you Jesse for your time, please take my card and tell Cassandra to call with any questions she has I will make myself available.’ 

Jesse shakes the hand and smiles brightly, ‘Thank you too Ma’am.’

‘Jesse, in private Quinn will be acceptable.’ Quinn smiles again and then turns to get on with her day happy she has done a good thing for her Mate. 

 

Rachel gasps as Quinn slowly makes her way down her body teasing as she goes, Quinn’s touches are like fire across her body and Rachel is now panting at the attention. 

‘Quinn, please!’ Rachel begs again, she has long since abandoned her facade of stubbornness and is content to show Quinn her submission if that will get her the orgasm she is desperate for.

‘Patience little one, I want to savour every second we have together tonight.’ Quinn runs the tip of her tongue just above Rachel’s bikini line in a tantalizing fashion.

Rachel tenses anticipating the next move, Quinn won’t make her wait too long for the next part of the dance as she is just as desperate for the taste of her mate. 

Rachel is wet beyond belief and Quinn is thirsty for every drop so she begins the slow process of ridding her mate of her juices.

Rachel quivers when Quinn finally takes the first swipe through her pussy with her tongue and then moans as her mate plunges her tongue deep inside, ‘Fuck baby your tongue is magic.’ Rachel feels Quinn smile as she continues the assault with her mouth.

The tempo is slower than it could be as Quinn sets about unraveling her mate orally, she is precise in her movements, setting back to Rachel’s swollen clit she uses the tip to map out her desire with a maddening fast and slow pace that has Rachel on the very edge embarrassingly quick.

‘Fuck Quinn, there baby I’m gonna cum for you, there yes… yes… again there baby please… please… argh!!’ Rachel hadn’t expected her mate to give in so quickly, Quinn loves to tease but as she is thrown into spasms she wails her relief to the Gyste. 

Quinn brings Rachel down slowly, cleaning her wetness as best she can then moving up her lover's body slowly with nips and kisses settling for a while on Rachel’s swollen nipples giving each one equal attention as Rachel recovers a little more from the red heat that had engulfed taking deep breaths. 

When Rachel opens her eyes again she is met with the smiling face of her mate and then a deep kiss on which she can taste her release and is enveloped by the sweet smell, she can feel Quinn’s hard cock pressing into her and on instinct opens her knees to allow Quinn into the gap. 

‘You are so beautiful Rach, I am so lucky to have you as mine.’ Quinn moves her body to cover her mate completely as she slowly enters white-hot heat and more wetness.

‘Fuck that’s good baby fill me…’ Rachel moans as Quinn bottoms out and stays still just enjoying the closeness they share.

Then the slow, precise movements begin, Quinn can feel every millimeter of Rachel’s pussy on the way in and on the out stroke. There isn’t a hair’s breadth between them as they share this moment with a deep kiss.

Quinn speeds just enough to give herself a little more relief but she is determined not to be greedy tonight, she is to focus on Rachel and her pleasure making this her way of closing the lid on their fights. 

 

Sam lays with his head on Dave’s muscular chest, he is deep in thought and exhausted from their lovemaking. ‘Did you want to go again?’ The taller human says. 

‘I wish I could.’ Sam moves to face his claim who is smiling back at him. ‘Honestly Dave that was amazing so how can you be ready to go again?’ Sam is a little taken aback, he is the Gyste yet Dave is pushing for more.

Dave laughs at Sam’s whining tone, ‘Did I break you?’ He sing songs at the prone figure beside him.

‘Possibly, I am not getting any younger maybe I need a rest between rounds these days.’ Sam pouts and this just makes Dave laugh even harder, they are both sobered up by Sam’s phone ringing and Santana’s tone blaring out.

Dave reaches for the phone and hands it to his claimer mouthing he is going to clean up. ‘He San are you missing me already?’ Sam asks.

He hears her raspy laugh from the receiver, ‘Yeah that’s exactly it doofus!’ Santana does miss them both but she remains snarky.

‘Good, I knew you would, I bet it’s my charming wit that has you pining right?’ Sam wiggles his hips even though she cannot see it and a returning Dave just rolls his eyes at him. 

Santana has a similar reaction on the other end, ‘No I just wanted to say goodnight to you both, I take it Dave is there?’ 

‘He is, here say goodnight to Satan.’ Sam hands his phone to Dave who has a goofy grin.

‘Hey San, you coming home soon?’ It has barely been twenty-four hours without her and he is not ashamed to say he misses her.

‘Not just yet but have Sam bring you downtown tomorrow I have found an amazing bar you will love.’ Santana had promised to stay in touch and remember her responsibilities and bar hopping with Dave fills that criteria to her.

‘OK cool but let’s not start too early on the shots this time.’  Dave hands the phone back at Sam’s request and settles in for the night. 

‘He is right babe, not shots before noon remember, do you need anything else bringing into town?’ Sam is struck by his need to take care of both of them from time to time. 

‘Nah I’m good but tell Dave to dress to impress I want to take him to lunch too.’ Santana has a day of fun planned.

‘Roger that, I love you, Santana, be safe ok.’ Sam looks to Dave and runs the fingers of his free hand through the guy's hair.

‘Love you both more, Night teddy bears.’ Santana has a smile again at the thought of them snuggled together, she knows once they are asleep Dave will wriggle free to rid himself of the baking hot body of the Gyste. 

‘Night San.’ Sam hangs up the phone then leans in for a comforting kiss with his claim to ground them both again.

 

‘So tell me what he said about my voice?’ Rachel is quizzing Quinn on her meeting with Jesse St James earlier today, Cassandra July had called not half an hour after Quinn left the dressing room of the star.

‘He hasn’t heard it but he believes me when I say you are amazing.’ Quinn was hoping to have a good post-coital nap after her performance earlier but Rachel in energized by the revelation she is to meet with and possibly perform with the singer. 

‘You don’t have a recording, I thought you filmed me at karaoke in the Hilton last week?’ Rachel is a little disappointed she had hoped Jesse had been blown away by her voice and tracked her down.

‘No, oh I forgot I do have a clip of you on my phone.’ Quinn hadn’t thought of that.

‘Really Quinn, how am I to impress if you are so complacent, we should do a recording session so you have something a little more professional when the occasion arises again.’ Rachel reaches for her laptop to select a good song for the recording.

Quinn groans, she is never getting her nap now.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick reminder that the italics depict speaking in the bond and that only those in the bond are able to hear what is said.

Sam, Quinn, and Sebastian are at the offices early, they have to finalize their roles for the coming meetings and Quinn then needs to get to the council by two so they are putting in an early start to give them time. 

Santana was waiting for Dave when he arrived and the pair went off to her quarters to eat the breakfast Dave brought with him as a treat from the household.

Sebastian shifts a little in his chair, he has something to say and his is struggling to hold it in. ‘Is it right that you let her go off like she has?’ Sam and Quinn both know what Sebastian is talking about and Quinn internally groans, if Seb is going to squabble over things, not of his concern they will be here all day doing this.

‘I did what I decided was for the best where my mate is concerned.’ Sam isn’t in the mood to answer questions about his relationships today, he misses the Succubus and he wants her back but in her own time and because she wants to be there. 

Sebastian eyes his brother carefully, ‘OK that’s all I was asking when I have a mate I think I will be reasonable like you too.’ 

Quinn stares at Sebastian stunned he would leave it at that but she is glad to move on, ‘Right so we have a planning meeting on the second.’ Quinn gets to the agenda.

‘Yeah that’s mine, I have an outline for you both but it should be a formality, it will be heard by the lower council so I have kept it brief.’ Sebastian hands them both a small folder with a post-it note on labeled Planning meeting. 

Sam looks at the folder then at Quinn who just makes a baffled face.

‘Then we have the Reign blessing, we are hosting again so mother and Rachel are making most of the arrangement.’ Quinn moves to the next item on the list. 

Sebastian is the first to speak again, ‘I have sent out invites to several families I have dealings with, all have accepted of course, here is a rundown on them and notes for your households on etiquette and dietary needs.’ More folders are passed and Quinn looks positively stunned now.

‘Erm good.’ She says then moves on again. ‘The annual ball meeting for the central bank is on the sixth, it is the usual theme this year I believe so we could just wing it.’ Quinn hates these committees.

‘I can go on your behalf, I believe we usually send a representative I thought as there are rumblings about the Fabray changes one of us attending would put minds at rest?’ Sebastian makes some notes as he talks oblivious to the stares of his siblings.

‘Do you have folders for that too?’ Sam jests.

Sebastian looks up straight-faced, ‘No but if you need me to make some notes beforehand Quinn for you to approve I can get onto it today.’ Sebastian misses the meaning of Sam’s words but that isn’t a bad thing. 

Quinn just shakes her head at Sebastian who happily goes back to his diary and notebook, ‘May I ask where you are on the lake development Sam?’ Quinn hasn’t had an update and she is aware of the waves Marcus Jones-Rey has been making.

‘Oh yeah, we are having some tests done on the soil first to decide where the best place for a smallholding is, I want us to grow organic for the restaurants.’ Sam smiles and ignores the real question he knows Quinn was asking. 

‘Good, I have an outline from the council regarding education, can you take a look and make your comments to me by Monday, then there is the fashion chain Kurt is hoping to get off the ground, I am a little in the dark about this one I was going to ask Santana to take a look.’ Quinn wouldn’t know fashion if it attacked her.

‘No need, I have something here I put together, we should push him to get this off the ground, I can talk to him if you want Quinn, this is an opportunity going begging if you ask me.’ Sebastian has the same folder again with another post-it to label its contents.

‘Thanks, I’ll look it over later.’ Quinn frowns but Sam just waves it off. ‘So if there is nothing else I need to make some calls and deal with my emails before I leave for the council.’ Quinn is dismissing them and they both rise and collect their things, Sebastian leaves first with a skip in his step.

‘Did I just dream that?’ Sam asks alluding to their super organised brother. 

‘No he really was on the ball this morning, maybe the new responsibilities are doing him some good?’ Quinn shrugs her shoulders she has no idea what to make of Sebastian either. 

 

Dave smiles brightly at the line of shops ahead of them, he had never imagined he would ever get to shop in such places when he was still on the farm, the window displays draw him in as he and Santana browse the street. 

‘Let’s go get a drink and maybe see a stripper?’ Santana suggests, ‘I know a place that has both guys and girls pole dancing at once.’ 

Dave perks up at this idea, ‘Do you think it is ok to do that?’ He thinks about it a little, ‘It won’t be an embarrassment to Sam will it?’ 

Santana thinks too, she doesn’t see the problem, ‘I’ll call Sammy and check.’ She decides to compromise and let Sam make the decision.

‘OK,’ Dave can live with that, ‘can you also ask him what time I need to be back at the offices if I want a lift back to the estate.’

Santana dials her mate but it just goes to the answering service straight away, ‘He must be busy, do you think we should wait or just go? I mean better to ask forgiveness Sam always says.’ Santana has made up her mind she is going and she is taking Dave for a good time too. 

 

Quinn walks onto the main floor of the council, the vote for the Domus is today and she believes Leroy has it in the bag, she worked all last week securing votes for her friend and he is the clear favorite to take the main job.

Rando Af-Mason spots the blonde Gyste from across the room, his is intrigued by her, she has a reputation for fairness but he is fully aware of her far-reaching powers among the clans. Rando has yet to meet her officially he has after all only been a full member for less than a month and getting to grips with all the rules has taken him a while. 

Jane West strides into the room, she doesn’t expect to beat Leroy in the vote today but she will rise enough to allow her a modicum of autonomy to continue her work. Leroy is a good choice for the main job and although she would have loved to take the vote she knows if she is to continue feeding Jack Zool the information he needs she is better in the shadows than the bright lights of celebrity that comes with the lead in the Domus. 

Rando watches Jane as she scans the room, he hates her, she has interfered in his family for years and she has caused too many investigations for him to forgive. She gives him a curt smile and wave which he returns despite his loathing for the woman.

Quinn sees the interactions between Jane and the new guy Rando, if they are in bed together she worries it means a harder fight for Leroy but the numbers support her belief he is home clear. 

When Leroy arrives there is a muttering around the room, he is quite an imposing guy anyway but for many, this is the first time they have met him face to face and with his towering figure and dark skin he stands out in the room. 

Quinn makes sure she is the first to greet Leroy and shakes his hand vigorously in a show of approval to the room, ‘Leroy, today is your day how do you feel?’ 

Leroy is buzzing with excitement and it is all he can do to stop from shaking, ‘Quinn my friend if ever there was a day to use your freaky power of calm on me this is it.’ He is only half joking he is desperate to come across as strong but his nerves are getting the best of him. 

Quinn smiles, ‘I have no idea what you are talking about but I am sure by the time you make your speech you will have relaxed some.’ Quinn might have some help for him later if he gets any more nervous. 

‘Well, I might sneak a drink, do you know who is speaking first?’ Leroy knows the order has been decided behind the scenes by the council drawing straws. 

‘You are second, a good spot I assure you.’ Quinn has a wink for him and then ushers him to go mingle in the room.

Sue and Russell arrive together, neither have relinquished their places on the council but day to day they have Quinn stand as a proxy to make votes but for this important vote they appear in person as a show of respect.

‘Quinn, hello darling.’ Russell greets his daughter with a kiss and Quinn then turns to kiss her aunt in a greeting knowing the eyes of the room are on them. 

_ Is our guy all set to take the top job?  _ Russell asks, they are not meant to use the bond in the council but they always use any advantage they can get.

The three of them look about the room paying little real attention to anyone,  _ He is nervous but I will help him out with his speech.  _ Quinn smiles to a familiar face across the floor.

_ Who is the new woman in the corner?  _ Sue has only been away a week, she cannot believe she is so out of the loop already. 

_ Petra Jones-Rey, Marcus’ new mate I believe she is a sharp cookie aunty so I will watch her closely until you return.  _ Quinn finds it harder to keep her eyes on everyone like Sue used to but she isn’t missing much.

Russell watches a thin Vamp head their way and feels he knows the guy from somewhere but cannot place him,  _ Incoming, new guy again skinny little fucker.  _ Russell says to the others.

Quinn finally focuses on Rando a little more and with the bond now open feels a shock run through her,  _ He is trying to use his thrall on us, he is brazen for sure.  _ Quinn smiles as he gets to them.

Rando makes a show of showing his submission to Russell, ‘Sir, a pleasure to be in the same room as you.’ He offers his hand and Russell slowly takes it feeling the thrall run through him again.

‘Thank you, young man, I don’t believe we have met?’ Russell holds the hand longer than he needs to and this pleases Rando, he believes his thrall is working on the Gyste.

‘Rando Af- Mason Sir, the clan Mason originally and since then we have become stronger through our bonds.’ Rando ups his thrall as he turns to Sue who meets his stare with a smirk that unsettles the Vamp. ‘You must be Sue Fabray, again a pleasure ma’am.’ 

_ He is a real charmer isn’t he if his thrall is allowed out I am sure you can have some fun Quinnie.  _ Russell smiles as his daughter lights up, Sue again holds the hand offered for a little longer than needed.

‘And this is my Daughter Quinn.’ Russell makes the introduction.

This time when Rando takes the Gyste’s hand he doesn’t feel his thrall instead he has a flashback to his youth, he is a small child and his father is furious at him for something, the feelings of shame and fear come flowing back to him and he momentarily shudders then looks straight at the smirking Gyste before him. 

‘Quinn, thank you for meeting with me.’ Rando isn’t in complete control of himself and he isn’t enjoying the meeting with Quinn how he thought he would. 

_ Look at that, he has daddy issues, how original.  _ Sue says to her family. 

Rando let’s go of Quinn’s hand but the feelings do not go away so now he is confused as to how this is happening, he was lead to believe a Gyste has no thrall but if he is not mistaken Quinn is fucking with his mind. 

‘Please excuse me, I need to coach my sponsor on her speech, I do hope our differing goals will not prevent us from being friends.’ Rando needs to get away quickly, he might actually be sick now as Quinn throws his body into another emotional spasm. 

‘Please feel free to stop by anytime.’ Quinn smiles again.

When Rando has left the area the three gyste share a laugh within the bond, ‘He is going to be fun.’ Sue says, ‘He has been lead to believe he has actual power over Gyste.’ Sue feels bad for him, he might well spend a great deal of time in the bathroom if Quinn continues to torture him.

‘A common idea amongst the high-blood vamp families I am afraid, try not to use this against him too much darling, he will become suspicious.’ Russell warns his daughter against playing too many mind games in the council chambers. 

‘Noted sir.’ Quinn senses another approaching and turns to see Marcus coming straight for them. ‘Oh shit, not him, not now.’ Quinn avoids Marcus, she hasn’t really seen him since he took Mercedes as a thrall and she isn’t keen to relive their animosity.

Marcus raises himself to his full height, for a vamp he is tall and size is everything in the Vamp clans but to the Gyste this means nothing, they know most of their strengths are kept hidden and they are not intimidated easily.

‘Russell Fabray, we have not seen you about these parts lately, we thought you were stepping aside for your sons.’ Marcus knows this will get under Quinn’s skin but she isn’t taking the bait.

‘When I do decide to step down many years from now it will be my honour to pass on the clan’s name to Quinn.’ Russell hates this guy, he is arrogant and not even a pureblood Vamp. 

‘I guess you have that choice, may I introduce my mate, Petra.’ Marcus is arrogant even around his mate, they were matched and mated as a business deal. 

Petra Jones-Rey is statuesque and has marble-like skin which both Sue and Quinn study for flaws, ‘Mr. Fabray, Petra Jones-Rey.’ Petra makes the introductions again herself. 

Russell nods but makes no attempt to touch the mate to Marcus more out of respect to her than him but Marcus has a smirk nonetheless.

Marcus again needs to hold the attention of the group and forces himself to the fore, ‘Your brother is making an ass of himself with his Succubus I see.’ 

Quinn bristles,  _ Calm yourself, he is trying to get a reaction from us.  _ Russell takes the lead for the family.

‘My son is doing the best for his Mate, I am sure you would do the same for Petra.’ Russell smiles

Marcus hates this, he should have taken the upper hand instead he is feeling humiliated, ‘I guess that is my business, good luck with the vote later.’ Marcus walks off with Petra expected to follow. 

‘He has a point about Samuel though, little weak-willed of him allowing her to leave like that.’ Petra now follows on after her mate with a smirk of her own. 

‘Well, I don’t know what is worse, a Vamp with an attitude or one with a superiority complex.’ Sue quips.

 

At the drinks after the vote Quinn is all smiles for the press who will report Leroy’s appointment to the masses, she hates being in the spotlight like this but she thinks it is good practice for a future where Rachel is a success. 

‘I need to get going I have a dinner arranged with Margret and the Cheerios.’ 

Sue gets between Russell and an adoring Imp cloying for his attention. 

‘OK, make sure you say goodbye to Quinn she misses your sorry ass.’ Russell misses his twin too but he understands this is something she has to do.

‘I will, the vote turned out well for us I take it?’ Sue asks as Quinn is again seen having her photo taken with Leroy and a group from the liberal lobby. 

‘I hope so, he is a fair man but how he reacts to the power that comes with his new role only time will tell.’ Russell shakes the overzealous Imp off and leads himself and Sue to get Quinn’s attention. 

 

Santana roars laughing at a low-blood Vamp who is dancing with a stripper in the center of the room, she and Dave have been drinking most of the day and they are having a great time in their opinion. Santana looks for her companion but cannot see him in the crowd so she gets up to investigate further. 

The room is now throbbing to the beat of the heavy base and the drink is taking its toll on her, Dave is writhing on the dance floor with a dark-haired twink and Santana smirks, she knew he had a type. 

‘Hello there.’ A short Vamp drawls at her as he grabs her wrist to get her attention, ‘how much for a private dance.’ His breath smells of death and Santana pulls away from his grasp.

‘Fuck off!’ She isn’t in the mood for him or his grabby little hands so she heads for Dave.

‘Come on Romeo, we have to get going, Sam will be leaving soon and you need to get the smell of gay off of you.’ Santana takes Dave’s hand.

Dave laughs her words off but follows willingly, ‘This has been the best day ever!’ He shouts over the noise in the bar. 

Santana and Dave head for the exit but their path is blocked by the Vamp and this time he has a friend. ‘So you do do private dances and more by the looks of this.’ He is a lecherous and both Dave and Santana are creeped out by him.

‘I said fuck off!’ Santana goes to push past the pair but the taller Vamp grabs her and she stumbles.

‘Hey, let go!’ Dave won’t have her hurt. ‘You have no right to touch her.’

The smaller Vamp laughs, ‘have every right to touch what I am paying for.’ He barks at Dave.

Santana turns and twists in the strong grasp of the Vamp, ‘Take your fucking hands off me you filthy ass!’ She is realizing she is small all of a sudden and beginning to panic. ‘Let me the fuck go!’ 

As Santana screams and drags herself away the Succubus rises and her eyes flare blue, she stops thinking rationally, she lashes out at the Vamp holding her and then rounds on the smaller Vamp. 

The punch she lets go has bite to it and he is on the floor before she can blink, once she does, however, she realizes this is a huge mistake. 

The Vamp lays holding his nose and the crowd grows around them, Dave stands still in shock, they are in so much trouble. 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family close ranks behind Santana but someone is determined to bring the Succubus down a peg or two...

Russell paces back and forth in the outer office of the Domus, three days later and Santana is still being held for her own good apparently. 

‘Russ, sit down please.’ Judi is tired, she has had a grumpy family full of Gyste for two nights and no-one has slept while they work to get Santana back in the house. 

Russell does as she asks and sits in the chair like a petulant child, ‘They have no right to make me wait like this, this is outrageous.’ Russell has tried all the usual tricks to get his family member out of trouble but so far nothing has worked.

‘Russell please, this is not about you or Quinn or even Sam. This is about Santana and her temper, our children have been warned all their life about the repercussions of losing it in public but Santana is new to the added emotions a Gyste mate feels.’ Judi remembers how she was overwhelmed in the first couple of years whenever she felt her adrenalin rise.

‘I know, I know this is all so messed up, she shouldn’t have been put in this position.’ Russell has railed on Sam for not being stronger since the mating and at Quinn for forcing a match that should never have happened.

Judi takes a breath and is glad to see Shelby return with coffee for them all, it will be the cheaper stuff because Shelby won’t have been served at their usual spot without a chaperone. ‘Thank you for this, the wait is killing me.’ Judi has relied on Shelby more than ever during these testing times.

‘Where is Sam?’ Russell asks, ‘He should have returned by now.’ 

‘I haven’t seen him sir.’ Shelby is still mindful of her place in public and with Russell under stress, she keeps a low profile and tries to blend in.

‘Bloody fool!’ Russell is fuming at his son now, he should be here to argue the case for Santana’s release but he is missing again.

Quinn followed by Rachel and Mike enter the hallway at a brisk pace.

‘Is Sam with you?’ Russell asks any of them.

‘She is being released to him in an hour, he is paying a bond now.’ Quinn has worked through the night to secure the deal with Jane West.

‘Very good, do we know what the inquiry will decide?’ Russell has been shut out on this one as it is a family member and he is furious at the nerve of Jane West, he has a long memory though and a not very forgiving nature. 

‘She is a bitch, she won’t say, either way, she is threatening to drag this out for months.’ Quinn has a new found hatred for Jane West after this stunt.

Judi cannot believe this, Santana will basically be under house arrest while the Domus decide her fate, the joke is they all know eventually Santana will be cleared of all charges. ‘Let us pray Santana just takes her punishment quietly when Samuel collects her.’ 

Mike is nervously twitching beside Rachel and so she places a comforting hand in his, ‘You are doing great Mike.’ She tries to relax him.

Shelby looks on, she has seen little of Mike since she joined the family and was surprised he showed up with Quinn. ‘There is Sam.’ Quinn points to the end of the hall.

‘Is she with him?’ Russell cannot make out the figures but he can see his son with his back to him.

‘Yes she is there and so is Dave, finally, we can get out of here.’ Quinn has so much to do today she is mentally tallying it all up and if she skips her meals and sleep she might get through it all.

‘Dad, we can go.’ Sam says as his household reach the group. 

‘Right, Sam and Santana in the car with me the rest of you go get on with your days.’ Russell will use the car journey to lay out his thoughts on this whole affair. 

Quinn sighs and takes Rachel by the hand effectively leading her and Mike for the building at top speed. 

 

‘Quinn, do you think I can make a purchase for the kids?’ Mike is still unaccustomed to asking for things from Quinn even though she makes everything as easy as she can for him.

Quinn looks to Rachel, she has no time to take him today, ‘Rach can you deal with this for me, I am snowed, babe.’ Quinn adds a pout to the mix.

‘Don’t play me Quinn, of course, I will take you, Mike, can we swing by the studio on the way through I want to ask Jesse about a recording.’ Rachel is excited to be involved with the singer and her first meeting with him went swimmingly. 

‘Sure, do they have a dance studio there?’ Mike loves to dance but he rarely gets the time. 

Quinn is quick to spot the interest her claim is showing, ‘would you be interested in taking some lessons, Mike?’

Mike is flustered, he has so much to do with the twins, ‘I love to dance but I don’t know how I would fit it in.’ 

‘Nonsense, you have Rebekah and if you need more help I will get you some, take some time for yourself, Rachel see if you can find something for him and do not take no for an answer.’ Quinn smiles at Mike who looks thrilled at the idea then kisses Rachel with meaning. 

‘Go finish before midnight and I’ll do that thing you love when I swallow.’ Rachel teases her mate but Mike turns bright red at the thought.

 

Santana is back where she started in her chamber on the bed, she has messed up Russell made that abundantly clear to both her and Sam in the car. She rolls over and screams into her pillow, how did she fuck this all up so soon? 

As she screams again Dave enters her room and without a word climbs onto the bed beside her. ‘You know when I was a small boy I would dream of a time when I could play baseball in the sunshine, it’s a boy's foolish dream I know but I had seen a game on the tv and thought to be in the warm sunlight hitting balls would be the best thing I could ever hope for.’ 

Santana looks up from her pillow at him laying on his back staring at the ceiling. ‘This is a shitty pep talk Dave!’ she snarks at him.

‘I know, I have only one story about my dreams and that is it, I never thought I would survive conscription you see.’ Dave would have been offered to the military if he had not been claimed by the time he was twenty, Sam took him two months before his twentieth birthday, he doesn’t think the family realizes how close he had come. 

‘My mother would tell me stories about the great Imp clans and how the rallied during the great war, she told the story like it was romantic but all I could imagine was the death of all those people.’ Santana rarely talks about her mother or the time she spent outside of the estate. 

‘I would have done the same thing if it were me, I told Sam that, so he understands it wasn’t you being a bitch.’ Dave turns with a smile to her.

‘Thanks, I would probably do the exact same thing if it happened again, I saw red and he was insulting me, I have been insulted plenty in life things were meant to be different now.’ Santana has a tear which Dave gently wipes away.

‘He won’t let you down you know, he might be mad now but he will make this right for you.’ Dave and Sam are already planning revenge on the Vamp who caused all this and even though they have been warned not to they will find a way to avenge Santana. 

‘I know he will, he is too good.’ Santana curls into Dave and lets the tears flow. 

 

Quinn almost crawls into her chambers at the end of the day, it is past midnight and she has exhausted herself trying today. 

‘Hey, you missed the deadline for your blowjob.’ Rachel jokes as Quinn flops onto the couch with her.

‘Beautiful I think little Quinn is sleeping, she might not wake for a few days.’ Quinn leans into her mate to feel the comfort touch brings. 

‘Did you feed?’ Rachel is worried Quinn is stretching herself too thin.

‘No, I just haven’t found the time.’ Quinn is hungry she knows she is and she also knows this makes her more tired than she needs to be. 

Rachel stands and pulls Quinn up with her, ‘Go shower, I have Rebekah on standby for you, I will have Dilas prepare her, you cannot go on like this Quinn.’ 

Quinn looks a little embarrassed but she knows her mate is right, going too long between feeds in such a stressful time could mean she loses control and this is the last thing the family need. ‘Yes ma’am’ Quinn salutes and moves to shower and prepare for her chattel.


	12. Chapter 12

Quinn skips into breakfast on a cloud, she is fed and rested and she has decided after breakfast she will be fucked too.

‘Morning sunshine!’ Sebastian greets his sister, she looks better than she has for days.

‘Sebastian, isn’t today the big day?’ Quinn remembers he is to choose a claim with their parents.

Sebastian has a grin on his face, ‘Why yes, thank you for remembering.’ 

‘If we are going to make good time we should leave soon.’ Russell reminds his wife who is deep in conversation with Shelby.

‘Five minutes darling.’ Judi takes a bite of her pastry then returns to face Shelby.

‘Quinn do you have the transcript from the Beever meeting?’ Burt asks, he is falling behind lately but Quinn doesn’t seem bothered.

‘I’ll email them for you, have you spoken to Kurt?’ Quinn hasn’t had an answer from her cousin about the new retail units Sebastian is keen to purchase. 

‘They are having a good time is all I know.’ Burt doesn’t check on Kurt like Russell does with his kids.

Rachel comes into the room with Rebekah in tow, they seem flustered and Russell is shocked to smell Quinn on both of them.

‘Did you ask for oat bran?’ Rachel looks to her spot and there is no bowl.

‘I’ll go.’ Rebekah offers.

‘We should leave now.’ Russell worries about the traffic Elder Aldred has relocated since they went to collect Rachel and he is now right in the center of the city, at this time of the day they could get caught up in a jam. 

Judi has a last giggle with Shelby and then rises, ‘Come on Sebastian let’s go find you a playmate.’ She winks at Quinn who looks baffled for a moment.

When they leave the room Rachel studies her bowl, ‘I thought we had blueberries?’ 

‘Sorry I should have known.’ Rebekah goes to stand again but Quinn stops her.

‘Stay and eat, Rach ask a Eunuch Rebekah needs her rest.’ Quinn isn’t being stern just concerned, Rebekah has only fed with Quinn a couple of times and Quinn wants to monitor her recovery.

‘Of course sorry, where is Mike?’ Rachel asks as an afterthought.

Shelby looks up, ‘He has taken the twins to a sensory class this morning, do you need help with something I have a free morning now.’ 

‘No I haven’t seen him for a few days, you said he was attending some dance classes didn’t you?’ Rachel directs the last part to her mate.

‘I think so.’ Quinn can barely keep up with her own whereabouts lately, she leaves all the rest to Dilas to arrange and organise the household.

‘How are you getting on with Jesse Rachel?’ Shelby asks, ‘It must be all so exciting.’ 

Rachel beams finally a conversation she can get into fully, ‘oh it is a dream come true, he is so knowledgeable about the arts and has an extensive repertoire himself. 

Quinn rolls her eyes, Jesse is an ass and his knowledge is based on his own ego and nothing else. 

 

Jane West creeps into a side alley and through a dark doorway, all this sneaking is a little too much for her, Jack Zool really is a hard guy to track down even when they have arranged to meet.

The large metal door creaks as it opens and Jane slips in before anyone can see her, the first room smells damp and musky but she knows to wait until one of the rebels comes for her.

Jack Zool looks to the CCTV screen and opens the inner door letting light stream into the foyer and onto Jane West standing alone. ‘Come through quickly!’ he says into the intercom.

Jane follows his words and through the next door where two large guys stand and move towards her to check her for weapons even though it is a pointless exercise. ‘Thank you.’ Jane sarcastically says to them as they pat down on her person.

‘Jane my friend come in.’ Jack has a false smile for everyone and Jane is slightly put off by his attire, ‘you like the threads?’ he asks with a smirk.

‘You look like a vagabond.’ Jane looks him over, his trousers are torn and the coat he wears looks like it might walk away on its own with all the dirt.

‘That is the idea, I have been down in the tunnels and it is better to blend in with the unfortunates.’ Jack rarely comes above ground these days, after the disaster at the Fabray estate he has a price on his head that even the most discerning Vamp would struggle to turn down.

‘Very well, shall we get down to business, I have some information you may be interested in and I need to know where the iridium cells have been stashed.’ Since Jane discovered the rebels have these cells she has become worried they are not being stored correctly.

‘You worry too much Jane, we have them in a safe place after all what is the worst that might happen?’ Jack smiles his false smile. ‘They explode killing a few thousand people.’ 

Yes Jane thinks that is the worst that could happen, ‘I see, let’s get down to business then.’ Jane opens her briefcase and takes a file from it, ‘Here we have the details you were looking for on the Jones-Rey clan, they have a newly mated leader as you will see.’ Jack straightaway is into the file looking for names and places he has interests in. ‘The name of the mate Petra Rey is hardly surprising both halves of the clan were looking to cement their position and the joining of these two makes the most sense.’ 

Jane finds Marcus Jones-Rey particularly contemptible, ‘Marcus has a soft spot for family members I understand and of course he isn’t technically a high-blood so Petra will give their children a boost up the social ladder.’ 

 

Jack nods along, this is perfect. ‘Good good, you say here they have a poor relationship with the Gyste clans?’ Jack’s plans leave out the Fabray family directly this time instead he will target their enemies to cause a rift. 

‘Quinn was in a relationship with a Mercedes Jones and I understand before Marcus stepped in they were to be bonded, Marcus ended any chance of that when he made her a thrall.’ Jane shivers, she cannot imagine a worse fate than this, to be at the beck and call to a monster like Marcus is unfathomable cruelty. 

‘That’s good, so they have a history?’ Jack is thinking out loud again. ‘Now the family of these hornets you have found, what is their significance?’ Jack like most outside of the Gyste clans has never come across a hornet before but he is intrigued. 

Jane smiles, she knew he would be interested in them, ‘They were quite the find, I had to dig deep to discover anything about them, they are like the boogeyman to all but a few groups, again the Blood-Gyste are not interested in them and ignore their existence apart when on a few occasions they become caught up in the fighting.’ Jane found a report that shows Russell Fabray had been with his children when hornets sought them out.’ 

‘So are they a threat to the Gyste or not?’ Jack is looking for a secret weapon.

‘Very much so, they can drain a Gyste in a few seconds just as they would a Vamp or an Imp and they exclusively feed on the clans rather than humans.’ This is true up to a point, the Hornet’s will feed exclusively on the supernatural abilities of the clans but they are just as capable of attacking a human, using emotionally fraught moments such as funerals and the birth of a child to trigger an attack. 

‘Interesting.’ Jack hatches a plan to manipulate the Hornets for his own gain, ‘And the Imp mate to Samuel Fabray, what has she been up to?’ 

‘That was an absolute gift, she attacked a Vamp in a club with Sam’s claim in tow, they were both drunk and behaving inappropriately.’ This is, of course, Jane’s viewpoint, the rest of the Domus may have a different opinion on the incident and haw Santana reacted. 

‘Good, keep me updated on that one, his sister was easy enough to get to and they have probably punished her hard which will alienate her.’ Jack was given so much bad information from Lucus that he has a warped view of how the Fabray clan behave. 

 

Sebastian is buzzing as he follows his parents into the Aldred mansion house, he has been almost silent on the journey with his nerves getting the better of him.

‘Russell, so good to see you back here again, I take it the little girl you took last time worked out ok for you?’ Aldred was not invited to the Mating of Quinn and Rachel as Quinn may well have killed him.

Judi shivers at his tone but in the bond, Russell helps her remain stoic. ‘Yes, Elder she has fitted in nicely.’ Russell leads his Mate and son through to the garden room where the claims will be presented. 

Sebastian can barely sit still as he awaits his choices, on paper at least two would be perfect for him but he was keen to see them face to face so he could choose. ‘You have made some unusual choices this time Russell, the boy looks like he needs a strong hand, quite the dandy isn’t he.’  Elder Adred hates the Fabray families riches, he could have succeeded if his Father had sold out in the great war. 

Sebastian almost reacts to the Vamp at this comment, he is well dressed and well groomed but to call him a dandy is rather rude but Russell warns his son to stay patient. 

‘Ah good here they are, come on.’ Aldred claps his hands to move the line up along quicker, ‘Get in line and face front.’ 

Sebastian suddenly realises that this awful man is talking about his claim and potential mate and stands much to his parents' surprise. 

Walking to the line of potential claims Sebastian pauses, he feels something strange, he feels guilt or remorse or maybe he has wind he cannot be sure, ‘These are the five I requested?’ He asks with his back to Aldred. 

‘Yes.’ Aldred frowns, Sebastian doesn’t turn to face him in response and Aldred is used to a certain level of respect. 

‘That one!’ Sebastian points to a tall young man with short well-kept hair and a slim figure. 

Through the bond Russell feels Sebastian’s certainty, ‘Very good son, Aldred have him dressed and I will take the paperwork with me.’ Russell is keen to leave rather than spend any more time with this Vamp.

‘You don’t want to inspect them further?’ Aldred is disappointed, he had a Gyste clan here two weeks ago who all tasted the claim before leaving, he likes to watch and the Fabray freaks are ruining the best part of his day. 

‘No, Sebastian knows his own mind.’ Russell makes it clear to the Vamp who holds the power in the room and Aldred waves his hand for the claims to go change and for the chosen one to dress for his new claimer. 

When Aldred leaves the room Sebastian bounces on the balls of his feet in excitement, ‘I knew he was the one immediately, that’s a good sign right?’ Sebastian asks his parents.

Russell smiles, ‘Yes son that’s a good sign.’ 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus has a hard time at home as the women in the house show him where the power really lies.....  
> Santana feels the weight of her decisions and asks for her Mate to step in.

In the vast hall of the Jones-Rey residence, Marcus stands with his mother Elish while she examines her latest purchase. ‘I don’t get it.’ he says for the fourth time.

‘Of course, you can’t, you are a philistine.’ Elish despairs of her only living child, she cannot understand why she wasn’t blessed with a better heir but she will need to make do with him.

‘It looks like a child spat on the canvas and the price is outrageous!’ Marcus can’t keep up with the spending of his mother and the funds for his Mating haven’t come through yet so they are technically broke.

Elish turns fangs out to her son, ‘You never question the money I spend, I am still the head of the clan just because you are playing the big man to the council means nothing in this house do you understand me!’

Marcus has prayed his mother dies every day of his life but prayers are never answered for Vampires. ‘Yes mother.’ He submits, getting into a fight with a five-hundred-year-old Vamp wouldn’t end well for him.

The door swings open and Petra strides into the room with a thrall following behind, ‘Is that new? Why it is a masterpiece.’ She declares as she looks at the new canvas hanging in the hall.

‘Thank you dear, glad one of you have taste.’ She sneers at her son, ‘I must be going I have to dress for a gala this evening.’ Without another word Elish Jones-Rey leaves the pair alone apart from the dazed thrall who doesn’t focus on anything.

Marcus turns to his debutant mate, ‘Do you really understand this… mess..’ he points to the canvas again.

‘All I can see is money down the drain but I do have tact and a sense of how to play the long game.’ She raises her eyebrows at Marcus in disgusts.

He can ignore the intent of her words, she forgets he has been tortured for years by his mother so ignoring her sniping is second nature to him, ‘Did you come looking for me for anything important?’

‘Important is relative, we have a chance to take the upper hand from Samuel Fabray, this is important but we cannot dilly dally.’ Petra can be patient when she needs to be, like with Elish but for the rest of her plans, she usually acts before her target know she is on to them.

‘Tell me what you have and I’ll decide what we do.’ Marcus has barely finished his sentence before Petra is on him baring her fangs, ‘Remember this dear,’ she sneers at him. ‘ I have the last word on everything here, you may hold a seat on the council but in our private life… you are my subordinate.’

Marcus shivers at the thought, in his lifetime he has always been the pampered prince who has always been the center of attention but with his new mate he is not on top and he certainly isn’t the man of his house.

‘Just tell me what you need from me.’ He gives in quite easily, there is no point fighting the odds when they are so stacked against you.

Petra smiles and lets him up. When her father told her she was to be mated to cousin Marcus her first reaction was to laugh, it had to be a joke Marcus wasn’t even a pureblood why would her father want to dilute their line. Petra’s father was serious though, he had a grand plan to take the whole of the Rey clan territories but to achieve this she needed control of the city and that was where the mongrel Marcus would come in.

‘Start by calling a meeting with Sam, while his mate is under house arrest he weakened, she is obviously the brains of the outfit and without her he is vulnerable.’ Petra hears through the grapevine that Quinn leaves decisions to Sam where the lake properties are concerned and without Santana to guide him Sam is out of his depth.

‘OK but he won’t just sign the mineral rights over to us without questions.’ Marcus wanted to just cause a war between the families and have Quinn kneel to him.

‘I know that Marcus, he will however begin to trust you if you show interest in him, he won’t be able to help himself I have read all the details about Samuel Fabray and he is the vainest and most stupid of all the Fabray children.’ Where Petra gets her info from Marcus has no idea but he will trust her word because he has no better plan.

 

Santana is sitting in her bedroom still, since the arrest she has barely spoken to anyone and today will be the same as all the others, she has no energy to get out and fight.

‘San?’ Sam tries again to pull his mate from her malaise, she forgets the depression brings him down to through the bond.

Santana doesn’t really acknowledge him but moves slightly across the bed to allow him room is he wants to sit with her for a while. Sam takes the room offered and slides into place next to her, his father has advised he man up and help his mate but he isn’t his father and to man up for Santana seems ridiculous.

_When I was at the seminary I was all alone, Brit was out of there in weeks she always was so very relaxed about things, I took longer but not because I couldn’t control my anger…._ He pulls his mate into him and nuzzles her hair, he has always loved the product she uses. _I was afraid, afraid to fail I thought that actually, I was afraid of what I had become. My mother is human and I had been surrounded by the Eunuch and Imps all my life, the only Gyste I really knew was my father and Sue and they rarely showed the Gyste to us children. I had woken up one morning a monster and I scared even myself._

Santana is listening intently, he has always been so kind to her, so patient when she was being difficult she cannot imagine he was scared of the Gyste inside of him.

_I know you did the right thing Santana, I know this because you always do the right thing, I know you are a bitch and I know you like a fight now and then but I also know you would never have put Dave at risk for nothing. So I don’t need to be told by the Domus you are innocent of a crime, I just need you to believe it._

Santana clings to him, ‘The Domus will make their decision regardless of the facts we both know that Quinn will make a deal and Russell will make a threat and I will be let off with a slap on the wrist.’

Sam allows her to bury herself close to him, ‘Maybe but we are a team in this family and regardless of how we do it we always come out on top.’

‘I guess that is part of the problem, I want the system to be fair and just, I want to be cleared because a low-blood Vamp pervert thought I was a piece of meat he could pay by the pound for.’ She wants this all to end either way.

‘I know you do and I want that too but you can’t affect change from the corner of a cell in the Domus can you?’ Sam thinks about how much things have changed in such a short time.

Santana smiles at that, ‘I guess not, can you ask Quinn to make a call or however she does these things.’

‘Roger that!’ Sam gets off the bed and salutes to a smiling Santana then leaves to beg his sister for help.

 

Sebastian is leading his new claim to their rooms, he is babbling about everything and nothing all at once, ‘Then we can take you into the city, have you ever been to the city before, of course not sorry I should be more thoughtful, we will go to the city and get you a new wardrobe and all the things you need to settle in.’

Elliott Gilbert has been wide-eyed and in awe, from the moment he was plucked away from Edler Aldred and whisked to the Fabray mansion. When he was at the farm he had prayed to be chosen by a guy, Elliott wasn’t a little gay he was absolutely committed to his sexuality, he always made sure to act as camp as he could when he was interviewed for a position and with Sebastian, it looks like he hit the jackpot.

When they get to the rooms Sebastian goes through his mental notes, he must not fall into the same selfish ways he did with Joe. ‘Please come in, look about as much as you want, this is the rooms we will share but obviously I want you to be comfortable here.’ Sebastian has studied his siblings carefully in the last few months and he has observed they are kind and gracious and unselfish to their mates and claims.

‘Thank you sir.’ Elliott tries to take all the room in, he cannot believe he is in such an opulent space.

‘Elliott, please call me Sebastian.’ Sebastian smiles at his new claim trying to calm his fears. ‘I am not a fan of Seb, my siblings use that moniker and it gets under my skin if I am honest.’

‘OK, Sebastian.’ Elliott smiles too, Sebastian is very handsome and he holds himself well, Elliott is keen to get to know him better in every way.

‘Until we perform the claiming, which I am not going to rush us into, You will be  under some strict rules about contact but those ease considerably once we make things official.’  Sebastian must speak with his mother to make the arrangements for Elliott to study the laws.

‘Thank you, I understand I have much to learn, will you be guiding me through this?’ Elliott has an image of a naughty teacher in his mind and he lets the thought dance across his mind.

 

Quinn rubs her face to try and wake herself up a little, she is in the library studying Imp rites of passage and has been focused most of the day. The last page she read was baffling, why would they mark their bodies with needles and ink in such a way. Quinn and all other Blood-Gyste avoid anything that breaks the skin so tattoos are out of the question, Quinn has seen similar marks on Eunuch and farmed humans to identify their origin. Quinn has a Gyste tattoo for her mating with Rachel but this is a bite to show her bond to Rachel and no ink just scarred skin. 

‘Knock knock,’ Sam says as he enters the library. ‘You’ve been here since dinner have you forgotten how to get back to your rooms?’ He jokes.

Quinn stretches out her neck and leans back in her chair to undo her knots a little, ‘Hey Sammy, what brings you to the book jail?’ Sam used to refer to the library as that when he was younger and hated coming to lessons here.

‘I remember that,’ Sam reminisces. ‘I came to talk to you about Santana and Dave.’

Quinn has been waiting for her brother to come to her for help, she has been arranging things behind the scenes. ‘OK, what do you need?’

‘A way to clear Santana of all charges.’ Sam says quietly.

‘They won’t stick Sam, you know that they are bogus and she had the right to recourse for his actions.’ Quinn would have expected if this happened to Rachel she would have skinned that vamp alive.

‘Yes she did but through the proper channels, this looks worse because she is a Succubus now and I did that to her.’ Sam hangs his head, when Santana was classed as an Imp she was considered harmless but since the mating and she ascended Santana has changed in the eyes of the law.

‘We are so focused on bringing rights to humans we forget the glaring biased against other groups.’ Quinn hasn’t given much thought to the problem before but after the great wars, more than just the humans got a raw deal.

‘Can you do anything?’ Sam isn’t here to debate the morals of the system.

‘Leave it to me, I’ll make this go away, Sammy.’ Quinn has the perfect answer to all this.

 

Petra steps back from the body before her, she is usually more careful but what is one little human after all. ‘Get rid of this mess.’ She waves her hand dismissively at the body and leaves her thrall to clean up.

Upon the second floor Marcus is finishing with his meal for the night, he hasn’t lost control like Petra, his thrall is sleeping but will recover.

When Petra reaches their wing of the house she screws up her face at the smell of blood everywhere, ‘Do you really have to eat in the bedroom!’ She asks when she comes to where her mate is dressing.

‘I eat where I want, you might have the last say on many things but my feeding is down to me and me alone.’ He is sick of her, they have been together for just a short time but he is already thinking about divorce which in Vampire terms means killing the spouse.

‘Look Marcus I know neither of us wanted this but we have an opportunity to build something here and all we need to do is keep it together and breed one child.’ Petra is pleased to be away from her overbearing Father who is vicious and cruel even to his many children, coming here and mating with Marcus was a way out that she isn’t going to mess up.

‘I guess, maybe we should go away for a while, like the honeymoons the Gyste and Imps do, nothing romantic but maybe we can find the common ground we need.’ Marcus cannot imagine this carrying on for them this way.

Marcus and Petra are victims of the Vampirie cultural laws which define a vamp by their status and the pureness of their blood. Marcus is not a pureblood, his father was a low blood lieutenant to his mother who got lucky when Elish took a liking to him and took him into her bed. Elish never thought Marcus would be the only child that would live beyond infancy. Since there are no other children higher up the ladder Elish needed to secure her place within the clan and so arranged for a pureblood mate for her son, their children would be considered cleansed and so purebloods in the eyes of the other vampire clans.

‘That is impossible right now but I can see it might do us some good, in the long run, what we need to focus on now is undermining the Fabray clan’s hold on this sector, those fucking Gyste freaks need to remember their place.’ Petra hates all Blood-Gyste.

‘So are you going to tell me how or do I need to guess?’ Marcus hates all the riddle bullshit Petra and his mother goes in for.

‘Start with getting rid of the Succubus, she is holding Sam together and without her he will fuck up the lake in no time, once they realise their stupid holiday camp isn’t making money they will offload the land quickly to save face and we both know the mineral rights there are worth a king’s ransom.’ Petra has been thinking about this for all her life, a way to rid her clan of the Fabray freaks.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new leaf Sebastian has turned is creeping his family but making his claim happy...

Quinn is shown into the offices of the Domus, quite a step up from Leroy’s previous rooms in the council building but that was to be expected, a mousy looking woman with large rimmed glasses leads the Gyste and introduces her, ‘Sir, Madam Fabray to see you.’ 

Leroy smiles and dismisses the minion and waits for the door to close, ‘Quinn, come my friend, how is our little star?’ Quinn has become accustomed to Leroy’s interest in her mate and unlike others outside the family, he doesn’t insult her by talking in such familiar terms about Rachel.

‘She is good, very hard to keep up with but good.’ Quinn shakes the offered hand readily and moves to the couch where Leroy gestures they are to be seated.

‘So apart from that update what brings you here?’ Leroy is pleased to see the Gyste but surprised she has the time. 

‘A favor, but not really for me, I will, however, honor the debt however you see fit.’ Quinn’s tone makes Leroy aware she is serious and a favor from a Gyste is a blood oath.

‘What is it?’ Leroy is only aware of a problem with Sam and Santana he hasn’t interfered with Jane West and her investigation.

‘Santana had a run in with a Vamp at a club, she was insulted and struck him.’ Quinn lets this sink in.

‘His status is above her?’ Leroy doubts one of the Fabray clan would be so careless.

‘No but it seems Santana is guilty of being Incubus firstly.’ Quinn hates all this bullshit with the clans and the species even if it has afforded her family great wealth and power. 

‘I see, was she justified, in your opinion.’ Leroy asks.

‘He laid his hands on her first, he was sexually aggressive towards her and he threatened her publically, as I have read her she gave him numerous warnings to back off and she was in the process of leaving to avoid a scene when the incident took a turn for the worst.’ Quinn is still unsure how it was allowed to go this far within the Domus. 

‘May I ask, is she being truthful in her telling of the story.’ Leroy knows Quinn is able to read people but he would never say this publically. 

‘One hundred percent, she attempted to avoid the confrontation and when he persisted she gathered her companion to leave.’ Quinn knows there was a time when she would have started a fight for much less but Santana had done the right thing.

‘I am at a loss as to why this is dragging on then, I take it they have placed restrictions on Santana?’ Leroy knows the process while investigations take place. 

‘My only thought is that she is being investigated for using her abilities against him, she didn’t need a thrall to deal with a low blood Vamp.’ Quinn knows Santana could easily despatch either of the Vamps involved just by channeling the Gyste she has inherited from Sam. 

‘Even so, she is not wrong to defend herself, this is stinking a little don’t you think?’ Leroy asks.

Quinn half smiles, she is glad he is a fair and just man or he may have missed the point, ‘I agree, something isn’t right and if this is an attack on the clan I would rather shoulder it myself and not have our mates or claims used, she risks losing her right to travel over this and believe me Santana won’t just take her punishment if that is the case.’ Quinn weighs up her options but decides to let Leroy into a secret. ‘Originally she was sent to our family as a weapon, she has a spell on her that was meant to kick in and he destroy my brother but it never happened and so she has only just tasted the true freedoms of our family, Santana has earned her freedom from the rules but she is also a loyal subject of the council.’ 

Leroy files his questions for another time but he will ask Quinn how yet another member of their family has been enthralled by magic. ‘OK, you have my word I will look into this thoroughly and that it will be my decision she is cleared of all charges immediately but I cannot just wipe this away today.’ Leroy wonders if the Fabray clan had expected him to make this disappear.

‘Thank you that is all I ask, will you keep me in the loop?’ Quinn would like to know who has been interfering in their affairs. 

Leroy smiles, she is a smart cookie for sure, ‘I promise, now can we just talk briefly about babies?’ 

Quinn rolls her eyes, he parents get the same sparkle when they talk babies too. ‘ I know what you think, Rachel should be pregnant any moment now but honestly Leroy, I have fears for her carrying my child and I also have high hopes for her talent.’ Quinn sighs, ‘We have so much time for children that I just want Rachel to explore the world before we start a family, I am also a jealous creature and fear I would resent any child that got to live inside my mate for five months.’ Quinn smirks at Leroy's scandalized face. 

 

Sebastian is trying to remain patient but Elliott is taking an age in the changing room, ‘Elliott, have you finished trying those on?’ Sebastian has sent him in to try some trousers but surely it cannot take this long. 

‘Just finishing up, may I have the blue ones again.’ Elliott is stunned he is being allowed so many things, he arrived with a bag of underwear and two outfits all of which have been taken and burned as far as he understands. 

Sebastian takes a deep breath, ‘of course, now don’t take too long we still need to get you some clothes to relax at home in.’ Sebastian usually loves shopping but this isn’t the same.

‘OK, all done, these fit and these I don’t like.’ Elliott holds out two piles for Sebastian to take but with a quirk of his eyebrow, Elliott understands Sebastian isn’t taking them from him and moves to place the unwanted items in the return bin.

‘Good, now let’s get some spare of the ones you like and perhaps a few more colors in the shirts then we really need to get on, we have dinner arranged and I want you to have a haircut before we go back to the estate.’ Sebastian is pleased that this claim is well groomed he really couldn’t have been seen with another hippy type.

‘Sir, may I ask a question?’ Elliott asks after they have paid for their purchases and are leaving the store. 

‘Please, call me Sebastian unless we are in a formal situation.’ Sebastian says then thinks, ‘Just for now actually while we are out of the house Sir is fine but you can just ask the question, Elliott, you don’t need to ask to ask every time.’ Sebastian is becoming frustrated by his new claim before he would have insisted on such things but he has declared himself a new man now. 

‘Sorry, do you think I might send a letter to my parents once we finish the claim, they would like to hear I am ok.’ Elliott was never ready to be taken to the farm and he struggled to adjust to the training he was put through.

‘Yes, Elliott I know you are new but you will see we are different.’ Sebastian has spoken with Rachel and she mentioned the culture shock she went through once she was brought to the mansion. ‘My mother will help you I promise.’ 

The pair head for the sports shop where Sebastian expects Elliott will find some god awful Nike’s like Sam and Dave wear.

 

When Rachel returns to the estate she is surprised to see Dilas waiting for her on the steps, ‘Dilly is Quinn ok?’ Rachel searches the bond and cannot find her mate. 

‘Yes Miss, I didn’t mean to worry you I had a delivery arrive and saw your town car coming.’ Dilas thought Rachel might have luggage so he waited to take it in.

Rachel smiles and links her arm through his and they both enter the house, neither of them saw Ava in the shadows staring at their blatant display.

 

‘Sebastian!’ Santana screams down the hall toward the Gyste’s room, he pokes his head out then slams his door. 

‘Elliott this is an important life lesson, never piss off a Succubus!’ Sebastian hides poorly behind his new claim.

As the door is thrown open Elliott freezes in place, the woman before him has blazing blue eyes and looks really pissed. ‘Santana, calm down now let’s not be hasty.’ Sebastian dodges her grasp behind Elliott’s frame.

‘You little shit, come here.’ Santana tries again to reach her foe, ‘Stop hiding behind your new boy toy and let me slap the shit out of you.’ 

Elliott is shaking, he is about to faint he is sure and as soon as the thought comes into his head he hits the floor.

Sebastian and Santana both stand stock still and look at the claim on the floor, ‘Sebastian you broke him!’ Santana sneers.

‘Like fuck I did, did you touch him?’ Sebastian looks curiously at the boy he is out cold, ‘Wake him up, I permit you to touch him this once, shake him or something.’ 

Santana stares at the Gyste, ‘Seriously Sebastian you are a dick!’ She turns and leaves him to deal with his problem.

Elliott groans a little and roles over blinking as he comes to, ‘I… Sorry…’ Elliott has embarrassed himself. ‘Did she hurt you?’ He asks.

Sebastian kneels beside his claim, ‘She wouldn’t hurt me, or you for that matter.’ Sebastian smiles and offers his hand to Elliott to help him up. ‘Quinn is scary, she has this thing where she stares at you and you shiver,’ Sebastian leads Elliott to the sofa and sits with him. ‘Sam is all muscle and brawn and when he shouts, which is almost never, he has lost his temper but his muscle is for show.’ He takes his claims hands in his, ‘And I scream and throw things, mainly for dramatic effect but none of us are going to hurt you.’ 

Elliott looks closely at the Gyste, ‘She had blue eyes, creepy blue eyes and she wanted to kill you.’ 

‘I stole one of her silk scarves, the pattern is divine I want to match it for a cravat for myself, she is selfish that’s the problem.’ Sebastian explains. ‘As a family, we bicker and fight all the time and we also close ranks against the outside world so now you are on the inside you are safe right?’ 

‘You fight all the time?’ Elliott questions.

‘Every day!’ Sebastian pokes Elliott’s ribs and smiles again to help relax the guy before him. 

 

Quinn flops into the couch in her chambers, today has been a bitch of a day. She has thrown off her jacket as she came in and looks about for the Eunuch that usually appears from nowhere to pick everything up. 

‘Rach?’ She calls for her mate but receives no answer, she knows Rachel is here somewhere she felt her as soon as she entered the building and Rachel usually makes a point of greeting her.

She leans back into the soft couch and lays her head back closing her eyes. 

Quinn jolts awake when she feels the air around her move, looking down towards her feet she smiles when she sees Rachel knelt at her feet. ‘I wondered where you got to.’ Quinn smiles comforted to see her mate. 

Rachel doesn’t answer instead she pushes Quinn’s knees apart and settles before her, reaching up a little to Quinn’s hips then sliding her hands together across the lap of the Gyste. 

‘Did you have plans?’ Quinn asks fully aware of Rachel’s mood. ‘Seems you have lost your voice.’ 

Rachel smiles cheekily but still has nothing to say, he hands are doing the talking for her as they become more persistent in their actions, kneading Quinn’s groin area to wake Quinn up a little.

Looking down on Rachel Quinn decides to let her just have her fun,  _ I am happy to let you use me as you see fit.  _ Quinn whispers in the bond.

Rachel unzips Quinn from her trousers freeing up space for her small hands to fit into the gap. 

Quinn’s breath hitches, Rachel has a firm and sure grip on her member now as she moves in closer to her Gyste to get a better position. ‘Quinnie you are far too tense and I am duty bound to change that.’ Rachel has a wink and another grin then motions for her mate to lift her hips so she can pull her slacks out of the way and then with a gentle touch she does the same with her boxer briefs freeing her now hardened member.

Quinn feels herself relax immediately, either Rachel is going to give her one of those amazing blow jobs she loves or she is going to ride her cock, either way, Quinn needs to do none of the hard work.

Rachel pays careful attention to Quinn’s throbbing cock and inspects what she sees as hers, first pulling it down and running the tip of her tongue around the bulbous head and then pushing it back to Quinn’s stomach and licking a steady stripe from the balls to the now leaking tip. 

Quinn is trying to calm her breathing and really enjoy this but Rachel is so damn good at getting her off this way she is falling into the familiar feeling and has to hold her breath and count to stop her pleading.

Rachel works Quinn, her balls fit perfectly in Rachel’s mouth and the gentle suckling increases to add the tension until one by one Rachel releases them with a loud pop and a smirk at her mate. 

Quinn’s eyes are scrunched tightly shut but she knows the pause is because Rachel is staring at her, ‘It’s creepy to stare you know.’ Quinn says in a breathless tone. 

Rachel’s reply is only to chuckle and return to Quinn who is rock hard and fit to burst, Quinn’s cock fits perfectly into Rachel’s mouth and Rachel works fast. 

Sliding Quinn all the way in and beginning the suction, using her mouth only to pull Quinn to the back of her throat. ‘Ergh oooh baby’ Quinn babbles. 

Rachel had the cock deep in her mouth and shifts only slightly so Quinn can feel her throat touching the very tip of her dick. ‘Rach, ooh babe that’s it.’ Quinn loves how this makes her feel, her heart is racing and the sweat is building on her brow as she anticipates Rachel’s next move.

Swallowing Quinn whole just came naturally to Rachel, it is an activity she loves, the power she feels having the Gyste writhing for her mouth gets Rachel off too.

Quinn is whimpering and moaning loudly now, Rachel is swallowing her dick and squeezing her balls in the way that makes her crazy, the Gyste comes without warning, throwing Quinn into convulsions as she empties her seed into her mate’s willing mouth. 

As Quinn slowly recovers Rachel stands smiling down on her mate and unceremoniously sitting in the Gyste’s lap wrapping her arms around Quinn’s neck then planting a sloppy kiss on her neck. 

‘You still with me baby?’ Rachel asks when Quinn doesn’t immediately open her eyes.

‘Almost.’ Quinn opens one eye and sneaks a peek at Rachel and her beaming smug smile, ‘You are very good at that.’ 

‘Is that right?’ Rachel asks.

‘The best!’ Quinn replies and finally opens her eyes to join her mate in the smiles. 

‘I guess I have a hidden talent.’ Rachel snuggles in a little more, she would like a return but Quinn has been really tired lately so she would understand if they just cuddle.

‘Did you enjoy it?’ Quinn asks her after a few moments.

Rachel takes Quinn’s features in, searching to see if she is being serious. ‘I always do, you taste good.’ Rachel has to say Gyste is one of her favorite flavors. 

Quinn laughs and pulls Rachel close to whisper in her ear, ‘My turn?’

‘Thought you would never ask.’ Rachel moves quickly to remove her panties.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burt still has the moves with the ladies or so he thinks and Quinn takes on a task for the family...

At the main council the next week Marcus Jones-Rey is thumping his fist against any surface he can find, his proposals are being shot down in flames and disregarded time and again. 

‘They have the Domus in their pocket.’ He rails to anyone who is near-by.

‘They built their fortune on the backs of forced labor.’ 

‘The Fabray clan are corrupt to the core.’ 

‘The Domus must be brought to task, they have become complacent.’ 

‘They have illegally mated their families with the offspring of terrorists.’ 

Marcus cannot believe Santana has been cleared on the charges brought against her in part by him and his family.

Petra slams the door to Marcus’ room with a loud smash to the wooden frame, ‘What the fuck are you trying to do?’ 

Marcus looks up, he was about to call the southern high council and complain to a cousin he has there. ‘What?’ 

‘You and your mouth are going to derail everything I have been working on, what is all this shit about terrorists?’ Petra has been fielding the fallout from Marcus ending the council meeting this morning by walking out screaming about Quinn Fabray who just sat and looked on in her usual icy manner. 

‘Santana Lopez as was is the product of an Incubus terrorist and his Imp bitch!’ Marcus is correct that Santana’s father was convicted of terrorism but this was actually a false claim to bring about the end of the Incubus clans on the high council. ‘And Samuel Fabray was never mated to her in all the years before so how did he mate with her now?’ 

Petra is aware of the odd situation between Sam and Santana but the Blood-Gyste are so secretive that it is almost impossible to disprove Quinn and Russell when they say Quinn’s ascension broke the talisman Santana was under and allowed her to mate with the Fabray son. ‘We don’t know anything about them for sure Marcus, we are as blind to them as the rest of the council.’ 

‘I know!’ Marcus takes to banging his hand like a child again and raging against it all. ‘I know what they are capable of, what they are fucking hiding from the council and the world they are a poison on this world.’ Marcus is becoming increasingly paranoid recently and the main focus of his rage is still Quinn Fabray.

‘OK, so let us try an experiment, the Bicentennial blessing is coming up, they will be there with their guard down.’ Marcus is keen to hear Petra’s plan now. ‘When we are all in the temple we will focus on Quinn with a thrall and read what she is hiding about Santana and Samuel.’ Petra has a satisfied smirk on her face like she has found the great secret to life. 

‘That is brilliant, in the temple, I understand the Blood-Gyste are helpless and unable to call forth the gyste for protection she will be like a lamb to the slaughter before us.’ Marcus has never thought of using a blessing against anyone before, maybe his match with Petra will be fruitful after all. 

‘And in the meantime, do you think you can keep that mouth of yours shut!’ Petra is sick of explaining his oafish behaviors away.

 

‘They are asking many questions Sire.’ Rando Af-Mason barely listens to his thrall but he is aware of the furor Marcus is causing. 

‘None of which Quinn would be stupid enough to answer, she is too smart for Marcus but Petra is an unknown factor.’ Rando speaks mainly to his own thought. ‘Send someone to her homeland, find out all you can on her side of the clan.’ 

‘Yes Sire, did you have anyone in mind?’

Rando looks up with blazing red eyes, ‘I said to send someone, who you choose is up to you!’ 

The thrall leaves the office without another word.

 

Burt stands nervously before his Niece’s offices, no doubt she knows he is here and knows he is nervous but that doesn’t speed him up any. 

Inside the room, Quinn sits with Mike and Rebekah as the twins play happily on the floor. 

‘They love the plastic bricks, you need to keep watching though because Ava has an arm on her.’ Mike explains.

Quinn has a soft smile for her nieces, ‘I remember Brit throwing a rock at Sebastian when we had a wet nurse, hilarious for us but the nurse almost passed out with the blood.’ 

Rebekah has been mainly standing back and allowing Mike to lead with the twins, she has been a nanny to many of the high-blood clans but this is the first time she has been with a Gyste family, she feels eyes on her but when she looks up neither are paying her any mind. 

‘How are you finding everything Rebekah, I mean the chattel side is working well but how are you finding the other chores in the household?’ Quinn makes small talk, Burt has been skulking behind the door for an age but she will let him make an entrance in his own time. 

‘I love it.’ Rebekah smiles brightly, ‘I am settling well enough aren’t I Mike?’ Rebekah remembers to ask the children’s father.

‘It has been a perfect transition, the terrors love you!’ Mike likes her too but is careful not to set off Quinn. 

‘Good.’ Quinn looks to the door again, ‘Mike go get Burt before he wears a hole in my carpets.’ Mike smiles and goes to the door.

‘Oh, hey, erm Quinn, right am I intruding?’ Burt cannot find his words.

‘Uncle you are always welcome, come and play with the small gyste.’ Quinn gestures to her nieces. 

Burt has a broad smile at this opportunity, he loves children and his one true regret is never having more with Kurt’s mother. ‘Look at you two.’ He coo’s at the pair. 

Mike watches carefully, they may not be Blood Gytse but their true Gyste nature makes them unholy terrors at times. 

Quinn focuses in on the room, Rebekah has a glow about her that shows many things to the gyste, today her aura has changed with the arrival of Burt. ‘Apart from children Uncle what can I do for you?’ 

‘Oh of course.’ Burt had almost forgotten, ‘The Bicentennial blessing at the weekend.’ Burt states something they all know.

Quinn watches him and opens the bond,  _ Is it, private Uncle?  _

Burt shakes his head, ‘I wondered if I could bring someone.’ 

‘Like a date?’ Quinn asks.

‘I guess, it has been so long since I had a romance I am unsure how to proceed.’ Burt has only ever had a claim in the past and this is all very new to him.

Quinn laughs to herself, he is the kindest man she has ever met and he has suffered more than most at the hand of women but he keeps getting up, ‘Of course there will need to be certain checks but if you are asking for the room at the table I will make it happen, do we get an introduction beforehand?’ 

‘Friday!’ Burt stammers out. ‘I am bringing her to the dinner Friday.’ 

‘Then I look forward to meeting her.’ Quinn is intrigued but distracted by Rebekah and her aura again.

‘Well, thank you, I should go, things to do and all that.’ Burt is pleased with the outcome but still a little out of sorts.

Once Burt leaves Quinn turns to Rebekah and smiles,  _ What do you know of my Uncle child?  _

Mike hangs his head as the Gyste lets her inner self out in the room and the twins are mesmerized by their Aunt.

‘He has had a curse, he is clear now but the scars remain.’ Rebekah answers in a singular tone. 

_ How would you know this, are you a witch?’  _ Quinn’s voice reverberates in the room.

‘No Ma’am, I have studied the arts with the Domus, I have many years of knowledge.’ Rebekah turns to the children without realizing Quinn has been in her head. 

Mike looks to his claimer but she has a smile for him so he knows all is well, ‘You must tell Mike all about the other families you have worked with.’ Quinn says nonchalantly.

Mike understands Quinn is asking him to investigate further without revealing the Gyste powers Quinn and the Fabray clan hide from the world. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russell feels proud of his family today and especially the little Mate to his daughter who has arranged her first blessing...  
> Marcus and Petra put their plan into action as the obsession with Santana reaches new heights..

In years gone by the Bicentennial blessing has been a complete disaster, the clans all together in the grandest of halls to take the blessing of the various gurus and priests! The families have killed and fought for centuries during this blessing and many of the families still turn the day into a fight for dominance but the idea of starting a war between the clans is hopefully a long since forgotten plan.

Quinn has been fussing all morning, for her, it is the first time her newly found dominance will be put to the clans for all to see, her family are now used to the Gyste and her household but to the other clans and the Vamp tribes, this will be a new thing. 

Rachel has been fussing too, she has a place during this blessing and for her, it will be the first time she has taken the lead from Judi but despite this Judi and Shelby have been fully supportive of the young Diva. ‘Honey everything is perfect, your household look amazing and the Eunuch have worked tirelessly for you.’ Judi is amazed actually, her first time was an awful affair. 

‘I know but this is so important for Quinn and her standing in the council.’ Rachel checks her sides again for the correct number of Eunuch to carry the tribute for the household. 

Dilas checks the last of the clothes for the offerings and then moves to stand at Quinn’s side in case she needs anything from him. ‘All set?’ Quinn asks the young Eunuch.

‘Yes Ma’am, checked and double checked, extra everything for Miss Rachel so she has nothing to worry about and I have the boxes for the daggers here.’ Dilas has paid extra attention to everything this is his first time too as the head Eunuch of a high-blood clan. 

The households all gather together at their end of the hall ready to enter, Quinn and Rachel at the head of the family for the first time and all Russell feels is pride in his amazing daughter and her mate, ‘She looks stunning Shelly, you and Judi chose well.’ Russell whispers to his Mate and Claim.

‘We barely had to do a thing, they love all the attention secretly.’ Judi tells her attentive Gyste. 

‘Santana looks pretty special in red I have to say!’ Russell notices the Succubus as does most of the Gyste clans standing at this end of the hallway. 

‘I think Sam looks kind of red too.’ Judi guides Shelby and Russell to her son’s crotch area. 

Shelby snorts a laugh, ‘Poor boy!’ Russell feels the pain his son must be in, Santana is an amazing woman and the Succubus charms are on high today. 

Sebastian checks his claim Elliott one last time and then turns to look for his sister, ‘Do we need to stay behind all the time?’ Elliott asks his claimer.

‘Don’t fret, Quinn knows what is needed, learning to trust her has been the greatest release of my life so far, she and Sam will never let me fail.’ Sebastian leans in for a quick kiss from the eager claim.

Eva and her Son Arron stand for her household, he is chomping at the bit to make a name for himself and this could well be a good platform to get noticed by Quinn or Russell. ‘Where is Nicol?’ Eva asks.

‘Behind you mother.’ Nicol says from her perch just behind her mother. 

‘Keep up please, don’t leave your brother’s side.’ Eva wants to bag a good claim for her children but so far she hasn’t found any that will push her children up the pecking order. 

The low humming noise from the hall begins and all the clans snap to attention, this blessing is the longest of the year but they all wait patiently to be called forward. 

 

Marcus and Petra walk into the hall, heads held high and followed by a dozen thralls all with their heads down and eyes glazed over. The sight of the Vamp clans entering make the Gyste shiver, the thralls that rarely leave the compounds usually stumble to their places knelt at the feet of Marcus and Petra. 

Sebastian squeezes Elliott’s hand on his shoulder behind him, he knows this must be overwhelming for the young claim fresh from a vamp farm and the cruelties of the clans. 

 

Rando walks in alone except for his usual loyal thrall who is not looking at the floor, Rando has a smile for the Gyste as he passes and a nod to the highest of the Vamp clans. 

_ Why isn’t he being followed by a thrall army?  _ Rachel questions her mate. 

_ No idea, I don’t think I have ever witnessed that from the head of a vamp clan.  _ Quinn watches carefully then feels a tingle in the back of her mind. 

Russell, Sam, and Sebastian share the feeling instantly and the hackles of the Gyste rise. 

Quinn remains on high alert, she is aware that the clans have used these get-togethers in the past as a start to a war and she is not going to be taken by surprise. 

 

Petra stares at the Fabray households across the great hall from her, Quinn is unreadable which is impossible. She tries again to enthrall the Gyste by concentrating all her power on the mind of Quinn but comes up blank, as she looks to her mate for answers a chill runs through her and she looks up to see the icy glare of one Quinn Fabray.

 

_ What the fuck are they trying?  _ Sam is trying not to panic but if this is an attack from the Vamp clans he needs to get Dave and Santana to safety.

Quinn holds the gaze of Petra,  _ relax brothers, she and Marcus are attempting to read me, they will have no luck just relax your minds they have no power over us.  _

Russell gently rubs the back of Judi’s hand, she knows there is tension but is not aware of the cause.  _ Be still my love, the children are in control.  _

Judi smiles back at Shelby and this household relax. 

Eva and Burt stand shoulder to shoulder with Nicol and Arron as seconds, Dee the date for the day Burt brought with him will wait this part out and rejoin the family when they all gather at the feast. 

Marcus looks down from Quinn’s gaze, his head is beginning to buzz and the pain of concentrating is becoming too much. Petra soon follows, the idea that Quinn and the Gyste are helpless in the blessing is obviously a lie. 

 

The day is long for all the attendees of the blessing and many allow thralls and claims to leave early so that they are available to their masters later in the day but the Fabray clan have remained as one throughout. 

‘Russ?’ Burt is behind his brother to gain his attention. ‘May I introduce, Dee to you now?’ 

Russell stands and turns to the pretty dark-haired woman who has accompanied his brother, ‘Russell Fabray, a pleasure to meet you.’ Russell offers a polite kiss to the back of the hand and a smile to his brother. 

‘Master Fabray.’ Dee bows her head in submission she has never actually met a high-blood Gyste before, Burt doesn’t count he is just a teddy bear. 

‘Please stand, Brother mine thank you for attending.’ Russell winks at his obviously smitten brother but doesn’t get to finish his teasing. 

‘Russ!’ Russell knows the warning tone of his mates voice and follows her eyes to where their children are beginning to circle. 

‘What the fuck are they doing?’ Russell looks to the rear and beckons Dilas closer to him, ‘What is she doing?’ 

Dilas has Jake sit beside Rachel before he leaves his station but then walks to the actual head of the household, ‘Miss Quinn is investigating the incident at the blessing, it would seem the Jones-Rey clan were attempting to enthrall one of us.’ Dilas would never lie to Russell unless Quinn expressly ordered it. 

Russell looks to his mate who is white with worry then to Rachel who is happily enjoying the meal as if nothing is wrong, this settles him somewhat if Rachel is relaxed Quinn is too. 

 

Rando has watched quietly as first Quinn and then her brothers followed by the Succubus left their table, in theory, they have the Jones-Rey clan surrounded but he refuses to believe Quinn would start anything. 

 

Petra feels the icy cold run through her veins, not something a Vampire enjoys for sure and turns to be faced with Quinn Fabray and her fucking smirk staring back. 

Marcus notices too late that Sebastian and Santana are beside him but when he does the involuntary twitch is noticeable. ‘Why so jumpy Marky mark?’ Santana drawls closer than he would like to his ear. 

Petra is caught in the stare of Quinn and almost feels unable to move it is so strong but she manages just to tear her eyes from the Gyste to help her mate out, ‘What do you want?’ She snaps at Santana. There was a time this Imp bitch would never dare face down Marcus but her mating has turned the protocol on its head. 

Quinn is smiling at the exchanges, Petra is actually afraid of Santana but that can only please the Succubus more. Marcus is still struck dumb and Quinn knows it is her twin Sebastian that has caused this in the Vampire.

With four sets of eyes on the Vampire pair no-one in the room can tell what is going on and Quinn quickly takes advantage. ‘What did you hope to achieve in the blessing?’ 

Marcus speaks without thinking, ‘You are hiding the truth about the Succubus from us all.’ Petra watches closely as her mate reveals their plan slowly piece by piece.

Sam smiles a happy smile as the Vamp falls apart before them, this is nothing to the power Quinn is able to tap into at will and seeing how the Vamps are helpless to stop her pleases him no end. 

‘Well, we will leave you with your silly games, remember me won’t you.’ Quinn cryptically says as the foursome return to their table.

 

In the final hours of the blessing, the heads of the Clans separate from their families and form little groups as they discuss business and clan politics. Quinn and Russell have shared the load so to speak and Quinn is just about to speak with Rando for the first time this evening, ‘Your entrance was a surprise I must admit.’ 

Rando smiles and turns to the Gyste, ‘I believe a change is in order, the Thrall system is failing, I was proving a point.’ Rando plays a long game and he has realized Quinn is a major player who will not go quietly. 

Quinn studies him, while he is trying to shield himself she can feel some truth in his words, ‘So you are prepared to modernize your house, your Family may protest.’ Quinn takes a glass offered to her. 

‘They most likely will, I doubt all the Gyste will quietly accept your father changing the status of the human in the clan.’ Quinn is a little surprised Rando has knowledge about her father but it is not a secret he is working to modernize the Gyste clans. 

‘It is a long time coming, the resistance and the rebels have made huge enemies of the clans but they are minuscule in number compared to the honest hard working humans we all exploit.’ Quinn eyes him carefully.

Rando looks Quinn full in the eyes and lets his thrall fall away for just a moment, ‘I may never fully agree with you on these matters but I think we are closer than you think.’ With that, he dramatically turns and leaves the hall with his thrall close behind. 

 

Rachel is almost asleep on her mate in the town car on the way home, Dilas is opposite with Mike by his side. 

‘I heard talk from the claims of a household looking to cross over.’ Mike says when he sees Quinn is fully awake. 

‘Who?’ She asks as she scoops Rachel a little to keep her comfortable.

‘One of the Domus families, I was given no names but I am sure they will tell next week at the get together if they are serious.’ Mike is good at listening and people naturally open up to him.

Quinn gives Dilas a look to tell him to pay careful attention, they do not want to miss out on the scoop. 

‘Have you spoken with Rebekah regarding her past yet?’ Quinn asks.

‘A little, she was born into a Domus family but never took the calling, this is where she has the witchcraft knowledge.’ Mike likes Rebekah she is very good with the Twins and he would hate to lose her. 

‘OK, Dilly check a little deeper for me please, perhaps she has some use in the archives.’ Quinn misses the knowledge Tina had and the advantages that knowledge brought. 

‘Yes Ma’am, may I speak?’ Dilas noticed something he needs to bring to his mistress. 

‘Of course Dilly.’ Quinn isn’t worried the occupants of the car are in her inner circle in the household.

‘Mistress Eva has been very vocal lately at the club and her family is increasing their budget by tenfold since they settled here.’ Dilas knows even more than Phillip ever did. 

‘Interesting, do they spend on anything special?’ Quinn asks because if they are researching anything she needs to know what.

‘No it’s all about shoes and clothes and the rooms they are building but it seems to be out of proportion.’ Dilas knows the Fabray clan have deep pockets but he also knows Russell insists on being frugal with their assets and not flaunting their worth to the Vamp clans. 

Quinn stares out of the window, she hates this side of the power that comes with dominance but she knows she will need to confront her aunt and cousins soon. 

Once the group arrives at the house they split up and head to their rooms, Rachel sleeps soundly as Quinn carries her to their chamber then tucks her in. 

‘I love you little one.’ Quinn whispers as she kisses her mate then leaves to feed after a long day. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Zool needs help with his latest plan to bring about the end of the clan system and he thinks this time he has the key to unlock the Fabray riddle, Jane, however, cannot fathom the power Quinn is capable of...

Jane West slumps back in her chair, it has been a long day and it is still far from over, Rando has had far too many questions about Quinn that actually Jane has no answers too and she hates being in the dark. 

Leroy spots the light from Jane’s office and pokes his head around, ‘You staying late again?’ Leroy knows she is looking to make a name for herself and since he took charge he has been closely watching her make strategic moves up the ranks.

‘Just finishing off some paperwork from the education board.’ Jane slides the last of the forms into her out tray, ‘Hey you know Quinn Fabray well right?’ She enquires.

‘Depends what well entails.’ Leroy looks closely for her tell. 

‘Well as in you have a good relationship with the family, your claim sired her mate I believe.’ It isn’t a secret Hiram is the donor for Rachel, ‘Have you considered trying again?’ Jane implies he could further secure his position with another child claimed by a high-blood family.

‘No, that is not on the agenda, Rachel is a one off.’ Leroy backs away from the conversation, ‘I should get home, I have much to prepare.’ Leroy is avoiding being in a room with Jane again.

‘Of course, you get home.’ Jane waves the Domus off without getting closer to the truth about Quinn again. 

 

Once Jane closes the door to her apartment she can breathe again, all day long she has plotted and planned with the worst families of the council and she feels dirty.

Jack Zool watches her from the shadows, he has been waiting for her to arrive home for hours, sat here in the dark. ‘You stay late every night?’ Jane jumps as she hears a familiar voice.

‘Fuck Jack, what are you doing here?’ Jane was not aware the head of the rebels had made arrangements to come out of the sewers. 

‘You know this place is very sad, this must be the loneliest building in the world.’ Jack ignores most of what Jane says. 

‘Well it is safe and secure and free so I guess the general state of the place never interested me.’ Jane has committed her life to the Domus and now to the Rebels, she has little time for a life away from either. 

Jack stands and moves to the window, ‘You know down in the bowels of this shithole city there is nothing to see, no vista to gaze on, no sunrise to welcome another day, just the same dingy stink and nothing else.’ Jack knows being here is a risk but all he has endured recently have made him impatient. 

‘As much as I am loving your poetry and company is there some reason you came here putting me at risk?’ Jane moves to the kitchen area for a drink and some crackers. 

Jack follows her across the room, ‘We have heard of a metal that neutralizes the Gytse, what do you know of this?’ Jack gets to the point of his visit.

‘Nothing, surely it is another fucking myth, they are untouchable I am telling you.’ Jane wishes there was a magic bullet that would take Quinn Fabray out of the game but it is impossible. 

‘Well I have it on good authority from within Fabray Inc that such a thing exists, Quinn actually has some herself which her Mate keeps close at hand to stop the beast from killing.’ Jack hopes this isn’t another fable about the Gytse. 

Jane watches him closely, he really believes this to be true, the years she spent at the academy learning to read humans closely are telling her he is honest. 

‘I know nothing but then we know so little of them and their abilities that this wouldn’t be a surprise.’ Jane cannot read any of the Fabray clan other than Rachel and if she even steps too quickly in her direction the ever-present Jake is on hand to protect his mistress. 

‘How do we find out, if this is the case then this is huge, they have always been the glue that holds the clans together.’ Jack knows that once the Gyste picked the Vampire side during the great war the humans were defeated. 

Jane thinks about the news in silence and Jack waits for her to ruminate the news. 

‘Quinn is something different, even to the Gytse as far as I know.’ Jane goes through what she knows for sure. ‘Sam and Santana should never have mated but they did somehow.’ Jane sits in her chair and continues. ‘Something is just not right about the Fabray clan but without a person on the inside, we cannot get into their mindset.’ 

‘That is suicide, the only person able to penetrate the family is a family member but that failed last time.’ Jack thought for sure Sebastian would turn against his sister but he remained loyal to the family. 

‘So this rumour about the metal, where did it come from?’ Jane asks. 

‘Files in the Fabray building, Sue was researching into the uses for the alloy last year, this was before the attack and they closed ranks, getting into the building now is impossible they have turned it into a fortress.’ Jack answers again honestly. 

‘Really, they have a weapon of mass destruction and they are keeping it safe for the future is that what you are saying?’ Jane cannot believe the Fabray’s would have something so dangerous. 

‘I don’t think they see it as a weapon, they have been trying to progress their kind with it, the madness that takes them during adolescence would be neutralized with the alloy somehow. This means there would be even more Blood-Gytse able to mature and possibly those in the asylums released to join with their families once more.’ Jack can think of a million ways the Gyste can benefit and only one way to use it against them.

‘I need to be careful, the families are in flux the old order are being pushed back and some of the new leaders are vying for position within the council so everyone is paranoid.’ Jane knows the for sure the Jones-Rey clan are ready to start a war for control of the western lakes land but without the support of at least one more vamp clan, they will not make a move.

‘I hear that Russell Fabray thinks he can rewrite the world for humans, make things better according to him.’ Jack scoffs, Russell is no more likely to turn to the human side than a fox to the lambs. 

Jane nods, as ridiculous as it seems Russell Fabray believes he is the great liberal. ‘So we have a rumor but nothing else, is there no-one you have who can get some of this alloy for testing?’ Jane would love to get her hands on some. 

‘Maybe, I guess we start with that but if they find out what we are doing for sure they will close ranks and destroy all the samples leaving us with nothing to work from.’ Jack wants to find even a scraping of this metal to see just how powerful it is in his hands. 

Jane stands and stares out the window as Jack did earlier, ‘Have you ever known a family like the Fabray’s?’ She asks the black outside.

‘No and no-one has, perhaps they truly believe they are Gods.’ Jack would hate them even if they are. 

Jane lets him leave the room however he got in, she doesn’t look back to see his back squeeze through the air conditioning duct to the outside of the building. 

 

In the dead of the night Jane is still reading, this time it is from a black text she had taken from a Gyste clan in the far south, the stories of the greatest of leaders who can read the minds of all before him and the family who were destined to join all the clans together. When she looks closely she can see the likeness to the sketch at the back of the book, tall blonde and with eyes like fire he stands before the room, his arms outstretched until he can feel the energy of the room and then as the screams of the people ring out the fire from his eyes fills the room at sends all souls to the death. The eyes are the same, the strong features and the blonde hair are familiar too but if this monster truly is the ancestor of Quinn Fabray why are the clans not doing more to finish her off, if she does become this all-seeing thing that engulfs the world in flames then surely all the clans have a reason to want her dead. 

Jane has a bad feeling again about the council and how they are going to move forward from the rebel attacks last year, Quinn and Russell feel invincible again after they killed most of the rebels at the house and Marcus has a new Mate that gives him the status he never had. Rando is the loose cannon in all this, Jane knows for sure he killed most of his ancestors to claim the prize at the head of his household but he is also very private about his power. Jane will look carefully into Rando and his clan before she makes a move, Leroy is investigating the Vamp clans for trafficking and illegal slavery again so he is kept busy and out of her hair for the most part, she will begin tomorrow and maybe the covern she heard of in the forrests are real and they can shed some light on the text she has hidden at the domus, if the Gyste truly are the devils she believes they are then she may need all the help she can get to bring them down and witchcraft worked last time. 


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel shows Shelby how being a Fabray leads to freedom but also can lead straight into trouble, the elder members of the family are again shocked by Quinn's gifts...

Rachel starts her day with a stretch and a sigh, she is filling her lungs with air and relaxing her muscles before she starts another day. 

‘Stop wriggling.’ Grumpy Quinn is awake and annoyed at the early start.

Rachel pretty much ignores her mate, she moves quietly from the bed to the bathroom and empties her bladder, brushes her teeth quickly and then returns to the bed she shares with her Gytse mate. 

Quinn grumbles again but allows Rachel to move her onto her back and waits for the little diva to snuggle in as she usually does, Rachel looks at the woman before her and has other plans.

Quinn is still eighty percent asleep and not using the bond at all in her sleepy condition so she misses the cheeky smile Rachel has as she straddles her Gyste and moves in to lather her neck with kisses and nips to the sensitive skin of Quinn.

‘MMm ok baby.’ Quinn starts to catch up to the idea as Rachel grinds her naked core onto Quinn’s hardening dick.

‘You like that Gyste?’ Rachel husks and uses her hand to finish preparing her mate for a quick romp before breakfast.

Quinn feels Rachel’s hand and immediately hardens, the small hand guides her into Rachel’s molten core and the noise she makes is pitiful. The Gyste is helpless when Rachel is like this, her nature takes over and she has just one goal, to please the little brunette no matter what. 

‘Quinn just don’t stop.’ Rachel grits out as she rides her mate hard.

Quinn cannot believe she could stop even if she tried, the feeling of togetherness she has with Rachel is like nothing on earth to her and the bond makes it all so much better. 

_ Rachel, you feel so good, please baby more!  _ In the bond, they begin to mold together and the tempo is increasing as the rock together. Rachel pulls Quinn up until they are face to face and Rachel is wrapped completely around her Gyste with Quinn buried deep within her. 

_ Quinn, just more, more something more!  _ Rachel isn’t sure what she needs or wants but she knows it is more than now.

Quinn allows the Gytste out, eyes golden and tusks top and bottom protruding close to the little human’s neck until they reach the highest point in their lovemaking and Quinn sinks her teeth deeply into Rachel bringing forth the orgasm they were both chasing relentlessly. 

‘Oh…. ly…. Fuck Quinn…. Quinn!!’ Rachel screams for all the house to hear.

Once they finish and Quinn empties herself into Rachel’s sopping cunt they slump back to the pillows and stay wrapped together but exhausted. 

‘Fuck baby, that was the best ever!’ Quinn mumbles into her mate’s neck and she cleans the wound of blood just as they nod off together. 

 

Shelby watches Russell as he finishes dressing for breakfast, he is usually ready long before Judi and she is not used to seeing so much of her claimer. ‘Are you going with Rachel today?’ He asks Shelby to bring her from her daze.

‘Oh yes, sorry I had a restless night I am not with it yet.’ Shelby forgets Russell can tell lies as well as Quinn can. 

‘A hearty breakfast will sort that for you.’ Judi says as she returns dressed from the bathroom. 

Russell watches his mate, Shelby is the only woman Judi has ever relaxed around and he likes the little relationship they have developed. ‘Are you not going?’ He asks Judi.

‘Not today, for once I am spending the day with my grandbabies alone, Mike is taking a dance class and I am going to spoil them rotten.’ Judi hoped to share the day with Shelby but Rachel and her need time alone too. 

Russell accepts their plans for the day, he is going to the pool for a swim and then maybe some time with the guru to open his mind and some writing if he feels the call.

 

‘Then to the south, there is the first of the planned lodges, all have their own outside deck and some storage for bikes and the like and of course, you see the large picture windows for the morning sunrises.’ Santana waves her hands about in an almost poetic fashion.

‘Perfect, just perfect.’ Santana and Sam stare at Sebastian as he looks over the plans for the lake again, ‘Santana, this is a work of genius, the whole development is going to be perfection.’ Sebastian kisses a stunned Santana’s cheek.

‘What? No snarky comments?’ Sam has to ask his brother.

‘No, it is all amazing as far as I can see.’ Sebastian enthuses. 

‘OK, out! OUT! Damn devil!’ Santana waves her hands in Sebastian’s face to scare away the imagined demon. 

Sebastian shakes his head slowly, ‘Now Elliott, do you like water sports?’ He asks his claim ignoring the implication from Santana. 

‘I have never tried, I am afraid I cannot swim.’ Elliott looks to the lake with caution.

‘Well Santana is an amazing swimmer, Tana you must help Elliott out and teach him to swim.’ Sam smiles, this version of his brother is creeping Santana out he can tell.

 

Shelby sits gazing out of the window in the town car as the street fall away and the road becomes more rural, this part of the Fabray estate is often forgotten by the Gyste but Rachel is fascinated by the old buildings and the long-abandoned streets of the old town. 

‘Quinn brought me here when we were first together, she was trying to find common ground, she is actually a real nerd she just hides it well.’ Rachel hopes to share with her mother more of the wonders she has discovered in her free life and this place is one of her favorites. 

Shelby looks father down the road as buildings begin to show their silhouettes, ‘So this place is like a ghost town?’ Shelby muses.

‘Pretty much, the human population left towards the end of the great war but generations of the Fabray clan preserved what is here.’ Quinn has explained to Rachel the land is special to the family because it is a physical representation of the choices they made during the great war.

Shelby turns to her daughter with a smile, ‘Russell spends time out here too.’ she comments.

‘I think they both do and Sue wanted to settle the area many times but Russell refused.’ Rachel loves the old town with the little church and the old schoolhouse where the chalk for the classroom is still on a dusty desk. 

‘Is she cruel?’ Shelby asks, she has been bothered by the rumors that surround Quinn for a while but has no idea how to ask her daughter about them.

Rachel studies her mother carefully, she won’t lie about Quinn but she knows her mother has real fears, ‘To me no, when I was first brought to the house Quinn didn’t want me, she thought she would be able to choose her own claim in her own time but Russell was tired of waiting.’ Rachel takes Shelby’s hand, ‘Quinn was miserable and angry but never cruel to me, she was completely out of her depth and I didn’t make things easy.’ 

Shelby watches her daughter, she can see the joy and pride she has for Quinn and when she watches the Gytse she sees a devotion that scares he a little, ‘I don’t remember Russell claiming me, I was so ill at the time I was barely conscious for most of it.’ 

‘Quinn took forever to claim me, she and I made so many stupid mistakes while we danced around each other, I love her Mama, I can’t explain truly how I feel because if I try to verbalise it I think I might explode, she is a monster, a killing machine that has evolved over generations to survive no matter what but more than anything she is mine and she knows that and that is all I need from her.’ Rachel has tears in her eyes as she gives her heartfelt speech, she cannot imagine a day without Quinn in her life and without her, she knows Quinn would wither to nothing.

‘Does it hurt?’ Shelby touches Rachel’s neck gently.

‘No, Mama I want this,’ Rachel strokes the spot on her neck where the claim was made, ‘The feeling I get from Quinn when we are together is impossible to explain, she makes me whole and more and sets me alight and drives me crazy and soothes me all at the same time, no the bite doesn’t hurt me Mama, it thrills me in a way I never thought possible.’ Rachel blushes a little at the memories she has of Quinn and her bite. 

‘When I heard you had been taken from the farm to a Gyste household I feared the worst, for days I was inconsolable.’ Rachel holds on to her mother’s hands a little tighter as Shelby speaks. ‘I felt you inside me then nothing and for so long I thought she had killed you.’ Shelby is crying now because the pain of those memories for her are real. ‘It was Sue who came to the farm and had me brought to the mating ceremony, after that things for me changed, he was so afraid Quinn would come for him in the night he barely slept I am told.’ 

‘I understand Quinn is unlike most Gyste and Vamps, Russell is strong and feared throughout the lands for his abilities but even Sue and Russell fear the potential Quinn has so the lowly Imp who farmed us never stood a chance, just before Quinn and I mated we went to the old town for some shopping.’ Rachel remembers the day well with a smirk. ‘So in an old carpet shop there was an Imp who insulted me, basically calling me a whore to the Gyste or something I forget he was unimportant.’ Shelby listens to the story smiling along as Rachel laughs about the Imp. ‘In the bond something happened, something no-one has ever been able to explain to me, I wished him ill and well.. He deficated himself.’ Rachel paraphrases. 

‘Wait, he shit in his pants?’ Shelby roars laughing at the thought of it. 

‘Yes, right there in his shop with all his slaves and followers working in the factory he shit himself because I wanted him to.’ Rachel explains.

Shelby takes a moment to think on this, ‘So not Quinn then, you made it happen?’ Shelby is shocked she had no idea her daughter could do such a thing.

‘Yes, the bonding during the Mating changed me somehow, I can tap into Quinn’s power but it isn’t completely in my control for instance I cannot bend people to my will the way Quinn can nor can I inflict pain just with my thoughts, she does that mainly to Sebastian when he is misbehaving.’ Rachel brushes off the comment. 

Shelby wonders what effect this has had on her daughter and what changes may be to come for her, ‘Have you ever seen her…. Like when she is Gyste?’ Shelby is now curious but she really is curious for herself.

‘When she feeds do you mean?’ Rachel asks and Shelby nods, ‘Yes a couple of times, the first time was a nightmare, Quinn was trying to settle my nerves and it ended with her locked in the Guru and Russell testing the bond.’ Rachel laughs it off but in truth, it could have ended differently.

‘Was that when they discovered the mating?’ Judi told the story like a romantic comedy of how the pair accidentally mated and Quinn was enchanted by Rachel. 

‘Yes kind of, now of course I arrange many of the feeds and deal with the chattels as Judi does for Russell, I have watched out of curiousity but it isn’t that exciting, Quinn bites the Chattels sleep and then they have a day off, Quinn and Russell are both very organised about it all.’ Rachel knows it isn’t the same for all Gyste and Vamp families but for the Fabrays a conveyor system comes to mind. 

The car drawers to a stop outside the old town hall and both women make their way from the car to begin their adventure. 

  
  


At the lake house Quinn is enjoying the quiet, she has a day off for the first time in ages and she is planning her evening with Rachel in her mind, Rachel has been naughty lately maybe a punishment for her will be fun. Quinn is brought out of her very nice thoughts by the sound of Santana and her shrill voice this time aimed at Sebastian across the lawn.

When the door to the lake house is thrown open Quinn is not surprised to see a flustered Sebastian fall in the door closely followed by Elliott and then Santana still shouting at the pair. 

Once the threesome realise they are not alone in the room the freeze and fall silent, ‘I have a day off.’ Quinn calmly begins, ‘This is unusual for me at the moment,’ She turns to Elliott and holds his eye, ‘I am very busy dealing with all the business of the family and keeping up with all the happenings at the council all the while trying to keep my very needy diva mate happy, can you imagine how special some peace and quiet is for me?’ 

Quinn raises her brow and looks between the three, Elliott is terrified and Santana can feel it emanating from him, ‘ow poor Quinnie-poos, how hard it must be to be so powerful and have all those people bow at your feet when you enter a room, well not me Gyste!’ 

Elliott actually faints again and the others in the room just stare at the prone man on the floor, ‘ He does this.’ Sebastian says by way of explanation.

‘Put a pillow under his head or throw a towel over him.’ Santana waves at Elliott on the floor.

‘What was all the fuss for anyway?’ Quinn completely ignores Elliott on the floor and carries on like nothing happened.

‘Nothing just some fashion tips for the Succu-slut.’ Sebastian comments in a bored tone as he pops Elliott onto the couch across from Quinn. 

‘I really don’t need advice from a dandy like you thanks very fuck off!’ Santana dismisses Sebastian’s comments. 

‘Where is Rach?’ Sebastian notices the Diva is missing. 

‘With her mother in the old town, she likes it there and wanted to show Shelby around.’ Quinn was a little put out her mate isn’t spending the day with her but it was a last minutes day off and Quinn has learned not to expect Rachel to drop everything for her. 

‘Reminds me, next week the performance, Elliott can sign too you know?’ Sebastian is keen to show off his new claim to the family. 

‘No…’ Quinn begins, ‘This is for Rachel, it is her night and nothing is to stand in her way got it!’ 

‘Fine.’ Sebastian pouts, ‘But I want Elliott to sing and dance too!’ 

Santana shakes her head at the Gyste, ‘he isn’t a fucking puppet Bastian, he can decide for himself.’ Santana looks to the couch where Elliott is still as death.

‘Yeah all he needs to do is stay upright long enough!’ Quinn jokes at Elliott’s expense. 

 

Shelby’s feet are killing her, she really should have worn better shoes for this but Judi chose these to match her outfit last week and it was the first chance she had to wear them. ‘Is that about it?’ She asks her daughter who has happily chatted and pointed out all the high and low points in the town for hours without a break.

‘Oh, sorry yes, of course, it isn’t like we need to do it all in one day is it?’ Rachel forgets not everyone has her energy.

‘We can visit any time Rach, that is the beauty of being a Fabray!’ Shelby jokes. 

‘I know right, Mama you should ask Russell to help you out of you are feeling the strain, I know he has a trick or two up his sleeve, haven’t you notice how flawless Judi looks all the time.’ 

Shelby isn’t sure what Rachel means but she only nods not wanting to be ignorant.

Once in the car Rachel opens the cooler for a drink, Ice tea, and some fruit for them on the way back should help the energy levels. 

‘Is that a body?’ Rachel asks as she looks down the lane towards the crossroads they need to take a left at. 

‘What? Where?’ Shelby looks frantically about. 

‘Drake! Stop the car!’ Rachel instructs.

‘Rachel you cannot get out of the car, Quinn will kill me!’ Shelby cannot imagine Quinn being happy Rachel is exploring alone. 

Rachel looks down to where she sees the lump in the road and thinks for a moment, she decides to call for help, ‘Ryder, we are out by the old town and there is someone or something in the road.’ Rachel begins.

On the other end of the line Ryder jumps up and slaps Jake where he is napping, ‘Miss don’t get out of the car, who is driving?’ Ryder has Jake’s attention now and Jake is ringing for the Eunuch straight away. 

‘OK, yes, Drake take us back now please.’ Drake moves the car on without question and makes a note of the location he is sure he will need to return with someone later. 

‘Good don’t stop until you re…’ Ryder stares at the phone in his hand, he turns to Jake, ‘It went dead.’ 

‘Fuck!!!’ Jake shouts, ‘Call Quinn, no fuck don’t fuck shit.’ Jake is panicking, Rachel is their number one responsibility and if anything happens they will be slaughtered at dawn by a pissed as fuck Quinn Fabray. 

 

‘Rachel?’ Quinn stops in her tracks.

‘What is it?’ Santana asks as Quinn halts as they walk back to the house.

‘Not sure.’ Quinn dials for Rachel but the line is dead on Rachel’s end. 

In the bond Quinn calls to the family,  _ Anyone have eyes on Rachel?’ _

Santana is beside Quinn and knows this is serious when the bond is thrown open by the Gyste. 

As the family all call back to let Quinn know they haven’t seen her mate Jake and Ryder come sprinting across the lawn to Quinn. ‘Rachel called and the line went dead.’ Ryder says.

Quinn scans the pair for more but they are both terrified something has happened, ‘OK, get the Quads, they went to the old town send security that way and follow on, Jake?’ Jake looks back to his mistress with eyes down, ‘Jake, find her, you have my permission to deal with this as you see fit, I trust you with her life Jake.’ Quinn pushes calm to her Chattel and he responds by straightening up and rushing for the garage.

‘She isn’t hurt?’ Santana half asks.

‘No but she is missing, I cannot feel her but she isn’t hurt.’ Quinn walks with purpose back to the house.

 

Russell and Judi are quickly in the study where Quinn and Sam have gathered, ‘What is happening?’ Russell demands.

‘Shelby and Rachel have gone missing on the way back from the old town, Jake found the body they reported but no sign of them so far.’  Sam fills his father in. 

‘Shelby is unharmed?’ Judi asks her mate.

‘Yes, she is in no pain but I can feel nothing else, Quinn how about you?’ Russell can see Quinn is calm but that isn’t always a good thing for the Gyste. 

‘Nothing.’ Quinn looks up as Dilas enters and goes to him, ‘Dilly, go find her for me please, use the bond and just find her.’ Quinn whispers to her most trusted aide. 

Russell and Judi watch the exchange and Dilas leave the room in silence, ‘Quinn, what are you doing?’ Judi asks.

‘Dilas will find her for me.’ Quinn’s calm tone sends a shiver through Sam and he looks to his father for guidance.

‘Quinn don’t do anything stupid now child.’ Russell tries to rile his daughter up to make her show her hand but she sits quietly in the chair.

‘It’s OK daddy, she is fine I can tell but I cannot feel her close.’ Quinn stares out of the window, she feels Dilas as he rushes towards Rachel’s location and he can see through the Eunuch’s eye but the rest of the room are unaware Quinn is in Dilas’ head. 

Sebastian comes into the room, ‘Father the car is at the western gate but it is empty.’ Sebastian sent security to all the gates. 

‘Have Remus start there and work back, go quickly Son.’ Russell is proud Sebastian is holding it together well. 

 

Dilas jumps from his quad and moves through the thicket as quickly as he can, he can feel Rachel now and he is throbbing with the sense of his mistress back at the house, the feeling is like fire in his veins but her carries on regardless.

He comes to a clearing and sees a few old stumps on the ground and what looks like glass shining in the light, bending to look closer Quinn comes to his mind  _ Touch it Dilly, let me feel for her?  _

The glass is cold and sharp, Dilas lets the shard cut his finger and then cleans the wound with his tongue. 

_ She is fine, she is trapped, very close but she is fine.  _

 

Quinn looks around the room, ‘Call Rebekah now!’ 

Santana goes to get the chattel for her friend without question.

Burt enters the study and looks about the room, the faces are all stressed and he tries to figure out what is happening. ‘Russ?’ He asks his brother.

‘Rachel and Shelby went to the old town and have gone missing on the way back, Ryder and Jake are out there now with the security detail looking for them.’ Russell looks back to his daughter, she is sat not really focused on the room and it is freaking him out a little. 

Santana leads Rebekah back into the room and all eyes fall on the young woman, ‘Quinn?’ She asks.

‘In the woods near the abandoned town is what I can only describe as a fairy circle, but fairies aren’t real right?’ Quinn speaks clearly without noticing the faces of the others in the room.

‘No, Fairies aren’t real, if the circle is cleared it is possibly a coven that made it but they also appear naturally in wooded areas.’ The woman answers Quinn.

‘Wait, witches are on our land?’ Burt buts in furious at the idea of witches again.

Quinn ignores him for now, ‘Rachel is there but we cannot see her, I can feel her safe.’ The room erupts in chatter at the news Quinn knows where Rachel is and has news they are not privy to. 

‘If there is a circle it may be dormant, the witches are drawn to natural areas of powerful lei lines  and may not have been on this site for generations.’ Rebekah continues.

‘Wait a fucking minute.’ Burt can hold his tongue no longer, ‘How does she know all this, is she a fucking witch!’ He looms towards Rebakah but Quinn twitches her hand and he flies back from the Chattel. 

‘Quinn!’ Judi warns her daughter. 

‘Rebekah take a Quad to the location and then let us know what it is, take anything you expect to need from the archive.’ Quinn directs the woman and she leaves, Quinn stands and stretches out her neck. 

‘If you ever threaten my chattel again uncle you will regret it.’ The room watches as Quinn leaves for god knows where and they all remain stunned. 

‘What happened there?’ Sam asks his father.

Russell makes sure his brother is ok, ‘Quinn has lost her mate Son, she has to get this out of her system and actually she showed great restraint.’ Russell says the last part to Burt letting him know Quinn can do much worse than knock him on his ass. 

Santana pulls at Sam’s cuff, he lets he move them from the room and the set off after Quinn. 

 

Rachel cannot hear anything or see anything nor can she feel anything really, no pain and no real fear just nothing. She cannot see her mother in the blackness and she cannot smell anything in the nothingness, she cannot tell where Quinn is but she knows she is safe and somehow she knows Quinn will come for her very soon. 

Shelby feels fear in the darkness but she stays as still as she can, on the farm she dealt with the punishments by being invisible and not fighting back. Shelby does the same in this nothing and waits for something to come, ever since she was claimed by Russell she has felt him, felt his energy in the room or had a sense of him being somewhere but here she needs to really focus all her energy to find anything and she is so very tired suddenly. 

 

Dilas can hear Rebekah coming, he can hear the roar of the Quad engine and he moves to make himself better seen from the roadway.

‘Hey Dilas.’ Rebekah greets him as she moves from the quad to his position, ‘Is it here?’ She asks about the clearing. 

‘Yes, see there are the stumps and she is in there.’ Dilas has been sat with his focus on Rachel passing to Quinn her status all the time. 

‘How does that work for you?’ Rebekah questions the Eunuch, ‘Quinn can talk to you can’t she in the bond?’ 

‘Ask mistress yourself, find Rachel now.’ Dilas smiles but Quinn is in control. 

Rebekah moves about the clearing looking for the access she knows must be here somewhere, the signs are there for her but she is struggling to spot the opening. She moves to the far side of the clearing with a crystal hoping for the small glimmer that indicates the opening and after an age she sees it, just a glint initially but then the shines for the keyhole. 

Dilas moves forward watching Rebekah work when he sees the glimmer he follows the light to the opening and steps in without a second thought to his safety, the light here is bright and the noise is immense. 

Rebekah watches as the Eunuch forces his way into the portal and smiles, he is insane for sure but she likes his loyalty to the family. Once Dilas disappears from sight Rebakah smashes the crystal into the stump of the tree and it disintergrates in her hand. 

Once the crystal is broken it is like the two worlds snap together and become one again, Rachel and Shelby fall to the ground with a thump and look about the clearing to see Dilas and Rebekah with them in the forest. 

‘Miss!’ Dilas rushes to Rachel and scoops her into his arms. ‘You are safe now, mistress is here.’ 

Rachel is pleased to feel him close but worries for the stress Quinn must have been feeling,  _ I am OK my love, please don’t be mad. _

 

In the house Quinn smiles and turns to Sam, ‘Dilas has them, they are safe now.’ 

‘OK, I will go tell Russell he might want to go get Shelby.’ Santana says and leaves the siblings to talk it out.

‘Quinn what happened?’ Sam turns to her, ‘With Rebekah how did you know about the witches?’ 

Quinn smiles again as she feels Rachel and Shelby moving back towards the house. ‘Rebekah was trained by the Domus, she isn’t a witch she is just a very good witchcraft detector.’ 

‘So not another Tina then?’ Sam asks.

‘No, no-one could be another Tina, Rebekah has the gift of sight with witches and that can be useful as you can see, we need to use every advantage we have brother, I don’t care if it is witchcraft or sorcery or fucking voodoo, we cannot be blind no matter what.’  Quinn has always been honest with Sam and he is aware Quinn will bend the rules to breaking point to keep the family safe and ahead of the pack. 

‘As always Sister, I follow you.’ Sam says.

‘They are back, let’s go great them.’ Quinn feels them come into the house and stands to go meet her mate. 


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The younger members of the Family continue to bond but this leaves Eva and her household even more isolated, Shelby takes a step closer to becoming a complete Claim to Russell.

Shelby is having a lay-in, she was exhausted yesterday and is taking the time to relax Richard will be back from the seminary later and like his sister he is tiring just to be around.

The door opens just a crack and Judi calls quietly for Shelby, ‘Come in Judi!’ Shelby couldn’t deny her friend a visit.

‘I just brought you some fresh water and those biscuits Rachel sneaks Quinn from time to time, can I get you anything else?’ Judi fusses around the bed tucking and plumping the pillows for Shelby.

‘Thanks, I am fine though honestly, I just spent a few minutes in a portal I haven’t died or anything.’ Shelby has no edge to her voice she is dismissing Judi’s concern though.

Judi looks closely and decides Shelby is ok and that she doesn’t need to worry quite so much, ‘When I first came to the estate Russell was a furious mess most of the time, his mother had died the year before and his first claim left him.’ Judi feels the need to share.  ‘I was the proverbial fish out of water and had no-one to discuss things with, Sue was away doing whatever she does and Russell’s father was in the grips of madness.’ Shelby never realized things were this bad when Judi was first claimed.

‘To prove a point Russell took me as a claim and the rest is history, except it wasn’t history it was warfare.’ Judi smiles but looks out of the window. ‘Russell drove himself to the brink trying to discover the cause of his mother’s death and when he found out the truth, that the Eunuch had murdered her and his father had done nothing he tore this place apart and rebuilt it better and fairer than before.’ 

‘Why did they kill her?’ Shelby asks.

‘She was a kind woman, human and compassionate to the end.’ Judi never met her as Russell’s claim but she did meet her once at the farm. ‘She wanted her children to be fair and just regardless of the clan they hailed from, she gave Russell and Sue their real powers, she gave them the ability to love.’ Judi hopes she has raised her children in this way. ‘Russell was terrified for you yesterday and I hate to see him weakened that way you see he is my everything.’ 

Shelby feels uncomfortable suddenly, what is Judi trying to tell her? ‘Judi I don’t know what you want me to say?’ 

‘I want you to say you will let him love you, I know you don’t understand all of this but I feel no jealousy for you and him and Shelby if you have even an ounce of love for him let him in.’  Judi knows this is foreign to most humans still, they are completely tied to monogamy and chastity.

‘He wants this?’ Shelby asks her friend, ‘He wants another wife?’ 

Judi laughs, ‘Oh sweetheart, we are so much more than a wife could ever be.’ Judi strokes back Shelby’s hair from her face, ‘Talk to Santana and don’t do anything you don’t want to, Russell and I would never wish you to compromise yourself for us, you are family no matter what.’ Judi leaves Shelby with her thoughts and hopes that Shelby can become the next piece of the Fabray puzzle. 

 

Leroy opens the door to his town car and strides out to be greeted by the smiling face of Rachel, ‘Leroy, welcome welcome.’ Rachel shakes his hand but they both know in private a hug will be in order.

‘Rachela, you look wonderful, Hiram honey come on.’ Leroy has brought his claim to see for himself Rachel is fine.

‘Rach!’ Hiram calls to her, stopping himself from manhandling her in public. 

Rachel has a smile as wide as a river to see the pair and guides them through to Quinn’s study.

Quinn stands when the door opens and stiffly greets the men until the door closes then lets her guard down, ‘Leroy, thanks for coming over but really she is ok.’ Quinn accepts the hand of the Domus and watches fondly as Hiram hugs Rachel tightly.

‘Yes I know that’s what you said and I do not doubt your honesty but if you had to live with a diva like him you would know only the sight of Rachel was enough.’ Hiram rolls his eyes at Leroy, Leroy may blame Hiram but they were both worried half to death.

‘Erm, I do have a diva all of my own!’ Quinn makes a face at the two dark-haired divas examining each other across the room.

Rachel and Hiram are oblivious to the teasing though as they go through the drama from yesterday. ‘Rach, do you think you two can behave if Leroy and I go over some things?’ Quinn asks.

‘Sure, oh you have to come see Mama, she was with me thank the gods, she looked drawn last night let’s see she is ok.’ Rachel talks and walks them both from the room.

‘So, you have witches on the estate again?’ Hiram asks Quinn right out about yesterday.

‘Possibly, I have called in the Domus to look into it, for now, it is most likely a hangover from years gone by, where they were is unused and abandoned.’ Quinn called the Domus straight away so as not to be accused of a cover-up and she is happy for them all to tear the place apart and look for witches. 

‘Not so abandoned, who was the body?’ Leroy asks as they settle into the couch and pour coffee from the carafe. 

‘I wait to hear from your people about that, the first indication was a human but not one of ours.’ Quinn is concerned about strangers. 

‘We will be thorough.’ Leroy assures her.

 

Andrea stands with her mother Eva in the main hall looking about at the grand nature of the estate once more, ‘Why do they have all this and we lived like the poor?’ Andrea asks again.

‘Your father I guess, My father your Grandfather always hated him and I guess that was why I was banished to the farthest reaches of the Fabray empire.’ Eva forgets she left when she realized her mother was in danger to save herself and her Imp claim. 

Andrea looks to the far end of the room where the grand portrait hangs with Lucus Fabray and his unhappy family. ‘He looks miserable, you all do.’ She comments.

‘We were, Sue was always plotting one thing or another and that tore us apart.’ Eva has her own way of seeing things and usually looks for the bad in Sue, the two were always rivals on the estate and to this day Eva blames Sue for the death of their mother and not the Eunuch who murdered her in a power-play.

‘And now, what do we do now? Am I to be sidelined by this family too, I have nothing to show for my hard work, nothing of my own.’ Andrea is expected to have children but she isn’t the maternal type. 

‘Start with a claim, take two and have them give me grandchildren that will get the ball rolling.’ Eva would like a child to spoil, Judi has two which is typical of Russell. 

 

‘Hold that thought.’ Santana and Sebastian are brainstorming the lake again, ‘Here look at this plan from years ago.’ 

Sebastian looks at the blueprint before him and sees the idea forming, ‘I can see where you are going with this, the lake is beautiful and to use this as the backdrop is preferable.’ 

‘Yes see, Sam has no idea about these things but I guess you have an eye.’ Santana would hate to admit she has let Sebastian grow on her in this way. 

Sam and Dave wander through to the archive where Santana is, ‘Hey dudes!’ Sam gives a finger salute which makes Sebastian squirm.

‘Do you mind you neanderthal.’ He rants.

‘Hey, no disrespecting the claims like that!’ Sam strokes Dave’s hair and the big guy pulls away in mock disgust. 

‘What have you two been up to anyway?’ Santana sent them to change the furniture around two hours ago but she doubts they remembered. 

‘We sorted the couch then we had a nap then Dave was feeling needy…’ Dave holds his hand over Sam’s mouth and the blonde sniggers from behind the palm. 

‘We did the furniture then had a snack now we are here wondering if we are going to the club tonight or not?’ Dave asks with a hopeful look, he and Santana haven’t been out since the incident with the Vamp. 

‘That sounds perfect, I will bring Elliott.’ Sebastian enthuses.

Sam can see the apprehension on his mate's face but gives her a moment, he wants to comfort her and reassure the Succubus everything will be ok but he knows she has to come to terms with this on her own or she will never gain her confidence back.

‘I guess a couple of hours wouldn’t hurt and you are coming too right Sam?’ Santana knows there is safety in numbers.

‘Of course, it was my brilliant idea, let’s ask Quinn if she is up for it?’ Sam and Sebastian love a night out with Quinn when she lets her hair down she is great company.

‘Ooh yes, let’s have a double-double date!’ Sebastian loves this idea already.

Dave looks confused, ‘Do you mean a triple date?’ he asks.

Sam and Sebastian look to each other but neither has the answer, ‘Dave they don’t know what they mean!’ Santana smacks Sam on the back but it is all in jest.

 

Quinn and Leroy are waiting for their partners in the dining room, Quinn knows Rachel is often sidetracked and Leroy mentioned before how Hiram is easily distracted. 

‘If you are hungry we can start?’ Leroy tries to lighten the mood, he is still a little unsure about the protocol in the house and would hate to have Rachel punished because Hiram is late. 

‘This happens all the time, Rachel probably has Hiram locked in her music room or something, she has no concept of time when she is entertaining.’ Quinn isn’t mad, she is pleased Rachel is happy, she can feel her in the bond and knows Rachel is full of joy today.

‘OK, so can I ask personal non-Domus questions?’ Leroy decides to quiz his friend again.

‘As always Leroy I am an open book to you.’ Despite Quinn’s insistence, Leroy has never asked anything too personal of her.

Leroy smiles, she is a conundrum to the council and to the Domus in general, ‘Sam and Santana, the truth this time.’ 

Quinn follows the eyes of her friend as he searches her,  _ the answer I give will settle this for you once and for all.  _ Quinn smiles as she uses her abilities on her friend. 

‘My father was aware of the link between Santana and her uncle and he knew she was a risk, the charm placed on her was never activated but we do not know why.’ Some of this is the truth. ‘It was me who forced their mating.’ 

Leroy is stunned, is Quinn admitting to using the dark arts, ‘How was it you?’

‘When I ascended Sam and Sebastian grew in power as often happens, Sue ascended just days after my Father did so this isn’t unusual.’ Quinn sips her water and prepares the lie in her head. ‘As Santana was under a thrall to all intense and purpose the increase in energy around me broke the spell and released her true self, the Succubus nature had also been dormant but as you know today she is full on Incubi in nature.’ Santana is a handful as a Succubus and Quinn doesn’t envy her brother for this.

‘Have you heard of these things before, you know there is talk in the council about it all.’ Leroy believes that it was a side effect, Santana, becoming fully Succubus. 

‘Similar happened to Burt and Ava when my father Ascended, they were able to sense each other much like Blood-Gytse do but without the control so we know the Ascension has an effect on family members, we cannot be sure if it is the increase in energy around me or if it is a clan thing to help protect us all but however it works Santana and Sam bonded completely, you were there you saw the chalice dissolve.’ Quinn chooses her words carefully, Leroy has been unable to find a single incident where the chalice is wrong, the archive gives no information about a failed mating being successfully faked but these were by humans and not an Imp or a Succubus. 

‘I know there is talk in the council and I am unable to stop the chatter completely for you but I will quiet some of the dissenters with more details.’ Leroy knows regardless of the truth he trusts the Gyste before him to do the right thing. 

 

Rachel and Quinn bound down from upstairs in a good mood closely followed by Dilas much to Sam’s surprise, ‘Hey you look in an exceptionally good mood?’ He asks his sister.

‘Yes, we are!’ She declares to the waiting group, ‘Dilly has a date!’ the other look on confused, Eunuch don’t usually advertise a relationship. 

‘Quinn, leave him alone stop teasing.’ Rachel chastises her mate, ‘Ignore her Dilas.’ Rachel calms the Eunuch who isn’t used to the attention from the family. 

‘We are dropping him on the way, Eunuch have a life outside the estate you know.’ Quinn winks at Dilas and in the bond, he feels her love for him and smiles back. 

‘Shall we get going then?’ Sebastian asks, Elliott is ready to party as Sebastian has promised karaoke tonight. 

The group head out to the cars and into the night, from the top of the stairs Judi smiles at her children as they leave then turns to find her bed for the night.

 

If Shelby said she was nervous it would be the understatement of the year, she is a wreck not even sure what she is doing despite the reassurance she has given herself for the last hour. Richard is with Remus having a lesson in the Eunuch ways to put him ahead at the seminary so Shelby has only her own thoughts in her head pushing her to the room at the end of the hall. 

Russell waits patiently for her to arrive, the discussion earlier between the three of them had been open and honest and Shelby seems to accept the nature of the Gyste but this could still go wrong for them.

Shelby opens the door and is shocked to see Russell sat in a prim manner on her bed, ‘Hey.’ He opens with.

‘Hi, I feel like a schoolgirl again.’ Shelby jokes.

‘Nothing happens you are not comfortable with Shelly, you look beautiful.’ Russell stands and moves towards her to take her hand into his and lead her back to the bed.

‘I want it to happen Russ, if I am honest it has been forever since I had anyone touch me and I don’t think I have ever truly felt the passion of another.’ Shelby cannot believe she is here with him sometimes and the family unit she now has is a dream come true. 

‘I have a lot of passion for you Shel.’ Russell says then leans in to kiss her lips for the first time romantically.

 

At the other end of the hall Judi settles in for the night with a movies and her book as company, she expected to feel something akin to jealousy, anger would have been normal Russell told her but all she feels is pleased her friend and her mate are making each other happy, even if she is a little curious. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick side note about Russell and Shelby, the Claim was made to save Shelby's life and to remove her and Richard from the farm but a true Claim has a deeper relationship with the Claimer. Most Claims are made for either political purposes or for a Gyste to bear children, Shelby and Judi also have a relationship and this friendship is strong.
> 
> This chapter see's Russell and Shelby move to a more conventional claim relationship, Russell and Judi have made this decision together which is why Judi is not jealous. 
> 
> Shelby has never been loved in the traditional romantic sense but Russell does love her and he wants nothing more than to make her happy, Shelby wants this for all the right reasons, she is not coerced into it nor does she feel duty bound to sleep with her claimer she is doing it because she wants Russell that way and he has more than enough love for her and Judi.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel has to deal with her human frailties, Quinn is little help. Russell needs to do what is best for the clan and he will need Shelby to make some decisions of her own..

Rachel rolls over and reaches for Quinn but only feels a cold sheet beside her, ‘Quinn!’ she attempts to call but her head is pounding and the noise of her own voice is like a knife through her brain.

Quinn is in the outer room with Dilas making arrangements for the day, ‘Take her a vial and some water Dilly, her head must be spitting in two.’ 

Dilas rises to attend to his ward and smiles, Rachel was drunk off her mind last night as she partied hard with the others despite her small stature, Quinn isn’t worried about the hangover Rachel is suffering today, the vial with her blood will ease the pain and the embarrassment of her behaviour on the table in the bar will fade with time. 

‘You didn’t come get me!’ Rachel says as she comes into the room where Quinn is waiting for her, ‘I couldn’t eat breakfast today so go down alone if you want to, I can just stay here and hide.’ Rachel is very good at feeling sorry for herself in this condition and Quinn is the worst at giving sympathy at the best of times.

‘You know, alcohol was a major cause of the downfall of the humans just prior to the great war.’ Quinn offers advice. 

‘Great thanks for that but a little indulgence now and then is hardly the end of the world.’ Rachel bites back.

‘Tell that to your head!’ Quinn leaves her mate to sulk.

 

When Quinn comes to the dining room she smells a familiar smell on the wrong person and looks about the room for clues only to see her mother and Shelby deep in conversation as usual. 

‘Quinnie, where is Rach?’ Judi asks as she sees her daughter take her seat. 

‘Upstairs recovering from last night, I am surprised any of you made it down this morning.’ Quinn says pointedly to Sebastian and Sam.

Russell looks up, ‘Did I miss a party?’ he asks.

‘Darling you are twenty years too late.’ Judi quips and Russell only pouts.

Quinn takes another look, Shelby is sharing her aura with Judi this morning and the only time Quinn has seen this before is when…. ‘Oh shit!’ Quinn blurts out for the room to hear. 

All eyes fall on her but she holds in her questions until her father is alone, if she is right Rachel is going to pitch a fit when she finds her mother is sleeping with Russell. 

Judi shakes her head, ‘Quinn manners please.’ She chastises her daughter but Quinn is too stunned to say more. 

 

‘Quinn!’ Rachel whines from the couch in the sunroom, ‘Can you fetch me some water?’ 

Rachel is still feeling the after-effects of last night and she has to admit this is the hangover from hell. ‘We have staff you know!’ Quinn is reading for the council tomorrow. 

‘Yes but I don’t want to take advantage of my position.’ Rachel pouts harder at her mate but Quinn remains unfazed by the little diva. 

‘Quinn!’ Rachel shouts a little and stamps her foot against the couch for added effect. 

‘Rach, seriously!’ Quinn gets up and heads for the bar area and a bottle of water but the bar is empty, ‘Fuck it!’ Quinn storms from the room and heads for the kitchen. 

Santana hops into the sunroom with a shimmy and a smile, ‘S’up hobbit?’

‘Hey San, I’m hanging today how did you recover so well?’ Santana is affected by alcohol usually and complains about the after effects.

‘I’m good, Sam helped me and Dave a little this morning so it is almost out of my system now.’ Santana knows the Gyste metabolize alcohol far too quickly to get drunk and their blood neutralizes the buzz. 

‘Usually that works but today I feel so sick, I sent Quinn for some water ages ago.’ Rachel is being pitiful but Santana ignores her most of the time. 

‘Excuse me!’ Quinn says as she comes back into the room, ‘I have been gone two minutes!’  

Santana rolls her eyes, ‘You two are pathetically loved up you know that right?’ 

‘I’m dehydrated!’ Rachel quips and reaches out for her water from her mate but Quinn holds it just out of reach and smirks. ‘Quinn!’ The noise is shrill this time so Quinn hands it over then returns to her seat.

‘You look bright and breezy Satan!’ Quinn says as she sorts through her papers.

‘I am, last night was a blast, we really need to do it more often!’ Santana bounces a little in her seat.

‘Oh gods no, never, ever again!’ Rachel actually heaves a little at the thought of any more alcohol ever.

‘She says that now but she was up there on that bar grinding her sweet ass!’ Santana makes a face as she describes one of Rachel’s finest moments from the night before. 

Quinn just chuckles about it, ‘You were pretty out there Rach, I have to say it was a night to remember, I think Elliott might have a sore neck from shaking his head to the rock numbers though.’ 

‘Oh right, I remember that now, did he faint?’ Rachel asks as some of the details are still a little fuzzy from the last club they visited. 

 

Rachel has retired to her bed for the afternoon but Quinn has so many papers to read through she is still in the sunroom but alone now as Santana has left her for a swim and massage. 

Russell was looking for a quiet spot, Judi and Shelby are with Richard in the chambers talking like they are on speed, ‘Hey, you mind if I join you?’ Russell asks his daughter who he can see is studying. 

‘Sure, I have a few more to go so I might not be the greatest company.’ Quinn is deeply into a Vamp debate about oil in the Gulf states, Quinn cannot understand why it is such a big deal the same family has drilled for years so why change the status quo? 

Russell can see she is concentrating hard and tries not to disturb her but he is curious, ‘Is it a Vamp claim again?’ he asks.

Quinn looks up, ‘Oil this time, you must be used to all this though?’ Quinn is trying to do this alone for her own self-esteem.

‘I have had decades of them fighting over who owns a shadow on a football field, honestly, I don’t miss it.’ Russell may be finding his writing hard but the day to day of dealing with the council and the Domus was killing him slowly.

Quinn smiles, ‘have you heard anything from Sue?’ 

‘Nothing for a few days which reminds me, has Holly been staying at the offices?’ Russell had been meaning to catch up with her.

‘No idea, actually I can’t remember the last time I saw her.’ Quinn is blank on the whereabouts of her Aunt's courtesan. ‘Should we be worried?’ 

‘I’ll have Phillip check into it quietly, Holly is Sue’s responsibility and I don’t want to step on any toes.’ Russell will make inquiries but he isn’t too worried right now.

Quinn looks back down but it is obvious she isn’t getting anywhere today with the papers, ‘Can I ask about Shelby?’ Quinn quirks a brow at her Father.

‘In what capacity?’ Russell asks, ‘My daughter or her daughter in law?’ 

‘Either, Rachel hasn’t noticed anything and I know it is your business, not mine but Dad it is a little messed up.’ Quinn feels strange talking to her father about this.

Russell could get mad, he could remind his daughter who the head of the household actually is but he is committed to transparency within his clan and so he bites his tongue, ‘She is my claim, nothing has happened that she is uncomfortable with and your mother has full knowledge of Shelby’s and mine relationship so far.’ 

‘I wasn’t questioning any of that sir.’ Quinn is in a corner, ‘I guess with Shelby being Rachel’s mother things feel different, I feel responsible for her somehow and I don’t know how to reconcile that.’ 

‘I will ask Shelby to talk to Rachel, I won’t have this cause a rift with them Quinn.’ Russell chooses his words carefully, ‘Your mother was always the one for me, when we met I was angry and ready to fight the world and after what happened with my first claim I was cautious but she was like a force of nature to me.’ Quinn watches her father form his thoughts. ‘Shelby feels like that, she feels like a missing piece I never knew was missing.’ 

‘I want her to feel safe here no matter what, to feel valued and that she owes us nothing.’ Quinn adds.

‘That is all I want to Quinn, I know this side of the Gyste is hard for you.’ Russell senses something else with his daughter. ‘Rachel will always be your priority and how you make that work is between you both alone but the Gyste is strong Quinn and we each need to tamper it how we can.’ 

‘You have been Gyste longer than I father and know more than I ever will probably, things just feel different for me, the old texts are meaningless right now.’ Quinn battles her demons in her own way.

‘We all have to find our own path sweetheart.’ Russell has a sad smile for his daughter, she is so young to have all this weight on her shoulders. 

 

Later Russell retires for the night to his chamber with his mate, Judi is reading a trashy novel and eating chocolate.  ‘Richard has some questions about the seminary, I told him to speak with you and Philip about them I hope that is ok?’ Judi says as Russell snuggles into the bed.

‘Sure, I will have Philip make time for him.’ Russell is preoccupied by his conversation earlier. 

‘Good, oh can you take Shelby to get the ceremonial garb for the blessings next month, I want her to go with us and for the Rites of passage blessing she needs the chain only you can get from the stone imps.’ Judi finishes her chocolate and gets up to brush her teeth. 

Her mate watches her go and smiles, he has opened a real can of worms this time with his mate and his claim, maybe Quinn has a point and this is all too messy for the clan.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family all seem out of sorts suddenly, the babies run amock with their father forcing Judi to use an old Gyste trick to calm the pair. Quinn makes a deal with an enemy then makes a new enemy within the house. Rachel has a bad reaction to a tense situation.

The main council chamber is full to the rafters for the voting today, the clans are all represented and some are here for the first time in an age to make sure they have their say on the latest zone regulations.

Rando Af-Mason sits and awaits his turn to speak, the Imp clans are currently running through a list of their latest demands but he is not paying attention to them. Rando has one eye on the head of the Jones-Rey clan, Marcus is furiously writing something down.

The Vamp watches from his position and notices something strange, Petra is nowhere to be seen for the vote, she is perhaps the only missing member of the clans today and Rando cannot imagine she would forgo her vote.

 

Quinn is bored of the voting today, the zones have been thrashed out in private so all the posturing is a nonsense to her, the current Imp elder making a plea for more land rites is wasting his time, he has sold most of his land to a relatively small Vamp clan in return for farm stock and gold. 

The Vamp clans are all here she notices for the vote, Rando has a vote for the mineral rites in the East to claim and Quinn will not oppose this, Rando is a strange cookie to her but she has no interest in his businesses. 

Nicholas the PA seats himself behind Quinn and slides a piece of paper to her which reads, ‘Quinn there is a problem with the Domus you must attend now!’ 

Quinn looks back to her PA and frowns, she cannot leave a vote as important as this but he is insistent.

‘Stay and let me know the instant these fucking speeches finish.’ She says to him as she rises from her seat knowing full well Rando is watching her closely.

 

Once away from the chamber Quinn dials for Leroy, he will tell her what is happening before she rushes to the other side of the building.

‘Quinn Hi,’ Leroy picks up straight away he was expecting a call from the Gyste. ‘Thanks for getting back to me, the fairy circles on your land are new.’ 

Quinn shakes her head on reflex. ‘What do you mean?’ Quinn is certain the lands were all scoured for Witchcraft after Carol was cast out and then after the rebel attack they were searched again.

‘The circles are new and from what we have found they are active too.’ Leroy cannot believe the results either, how Witches are getting so close to the Fabray estate again is a mystery to him.

‘Who was the body?’ Quinn remembers the man found by Rachel at the side of the road which prompted all this in the first place. 

‘A low-level Imp employee of yours, he has no connection to the estate though he was employed by Sue in the research team last year.’ Leroy doesn’t see the need to investigate the guy further it looks like a natural if untimely death.

‘My Aunt employed him?’ Quinn stalls for time while she thinks.

‘Yes, he may have wandered on to the grounds looking for spices, I understand he is a source Imp.’ Quinn is aware her Aunt employs different Imps for different roles and the Source clans are renowned for their ability to sense different alloys but what he would want on the Fabray estate is beyond her.

‘Leroy, can you do me a favor and call Sebastian, tell him everything and tell him I asked he look into all this with you, he is good at this sort of thing and seriously I may be in the chambers here at the council until I die at this rate.’ Quinn lightens the tone but she will need to speak privately with Sebastian on this matter.

‘I can do that, I don’t know him well though.’ Leroy has a good rapport with Quinn.

‘Honestly, he is the best for the task and will keep me updated, it sounds wrong somehow and I want him to look closely into the Imp on the land as well as the circles, if we have a Witch again I swear my Uncle will be livid.’ Quinn knows Burt will kill a witch given the chance. 

‘OK Quinn, I will call Sebastian, speak to you soon though.’ Leroy hangs up and makes the call to Sebastian his next task.

 

Three hours later Quinn is finally out of the chamber after all the votes, as she expected all the clans stuck with their deals and voted accordingly. 

As Quinn leaves the room though she spots Petra coming in from the outer offices, Rando does too and makes his way to Quinn. 

‘She was missing for the votes you know?’ He says to the Gyste.

‘Do you know where she was?’ Quinn asks him, if he wants to play games she wants answers.

Rando faces Quinn full-on, ‘No idea but Marcus was scribbling furiously all through the speeches.’ 

Quinn realizes he faced her so she can see his aura and read his truth, he knows nothing more than he is telling her which is disappointing. ‘So the first to discover their game shares it with the other I guess?’ Quinn tests the Vamps loyalties.

‘As it may benefit my cause I will agree to these terms.’ Rando smiles then leaves, Quinn may not trust him yet but she is an ally everyone wants.

 

When Quinn gets home just before midnight Sebastian is waiting for her in the lobby, ‘Seb? I didn’t expect you to wait up for me.’ Quinn is cautious not to alienate her twin and hoped this was a task he would enjoy.

‘I just got back from meeting with Leroy again so thought as you were on the way I would touch base before retiring for the night.’ Sebastian has found out more than he hoped from the Domus. 

‘OK, let’s get a nightcap and you can fill me in.’ Quinn wanted to sleep till dawn in Rachel’s arms but that looks unlikely now.

 

The twins scream out in unison again, Mike swears they are possessed by a devil on nights like this. ‘Chill out little beans, Daddy is here.’

Iris calms a little but Ava is on one tonight and doesn’t let up, as Mike goes to lift her from her bed she lunges and snaps her teeth into his arm causing him to flinch and drop her back to the mattress. 

Iris actually laughs at this and Mike watches the pair with confused eyes, true Gyste shouldn’t bite like that and they certainly shouldn’t smirk at him. 

‘Girls, be nice to Dada now.’ Mike tries to reason with them but then realizes they are only fourteen months old. ‘No, naughty!’ Mike tries again when Eva makes a grab for him. 

Outside the chambers Russell stands and smiles at the happy sound of babies until he hears the not so happy sound of Mike shouting out in pain, Russell opens the door and steps through to a sight of destruction.

‘Mike, what the…’ Russell looks about the room is messy and the claim is on his ass in the middle of the floor holding his hand. ‘Are you bleeding, Mike?!’ 

Mike sits in stunned silence, the twins just tried to eat him! ‘They attacked me!’ Mike uses a shocked tone to tell Russell the news.

Russell doesn’t answer he picks up the house phone and makes some calls then he moves to scoop the terrors up, both of whom are silent and smiling happily at their grandpop. ‘You ain’t fooling me kiddos, I’ve sent for grammy so behave!’ Russell can feel the twins in the bond and knows so much about them already, the biting may be fun to them but it is a bad behavior Mike and Quinn need to nip in the bud. 

‘Mike, why are you on the floor?’ Judi asks as she comes through the door to the messy sight before her. ‘Is he bleeding?’ Judi turns to her mate who is playing with the twins by their bed.

‘I think these two need to learn some manners, they bite apparently.’ Judi raises her eyes as Russell explains the situation to her.

‘Just like their mother then, Mike darling go clean up then get some rest, we can deal with this until Rebekah arrives, go on now.’ Judi shoos him away and out of the room like a mother hen then when he is gone turns to the twins with a serious face.

‘OK Russ, open the bond, let’s get these little snappers under control the old fashioned way!’ Judi loves her grand-daughters but they need more discipline than Mike or Quinn provides. 

Eva and Iris regard Judi suspiciously, Judi actually sees Iris lick her lips in defiance but that is all about to change.

 

The next morning Shelby is looking reluctantly for her daughter, Russell insisted she has a talk with her before they can continue in a relationship, honestly, Shelby thinks asking her daughter for permission is ridiculous.

Quinn runs past Shelby in the hall and tips her head shortly followed by Santana then Dave, Shelby hasn’t heard any alarms so ignores the threesome for now and stops outside the sunroom where she knows Rachel will be.

Rachel is practicing a few dance steps for tonight she doesn’t quite have the hang of, Jesse has an elaborate number for them to finish on and Rachel is determined to nail it.

‘The door is open Mama,’ Rachel says as she feels Shelby close by, sometimes she is wrong when she calls out but she is getting better all the time. 

Shelby enters the room and makes her way to the seats at the far end, she knows Rachel will probably finish her dancing before she has her attention so she takes a private moment to focus for the conversation ahead of them.

Dilas appears in the room silently as ever and smiles sweetly at Shelby before handing Rachel a bottle of water and towel, Shelby regards her daughter carefully.

‘Mama, what brings you here?’ Rachel sits next to her mother and sips her drink.

‘Actually, I have a confession to make and Russell made me!’ Shelby half-jokes with Quinn’s mate. 

‘Sounds interesting, Dilly can you have my linen changed and the flowers in Quinn’s office moved to the great hall she hates them.’ Rachel makes a mental note of all the details she needs Dilas’ help with today as she speaks. 

‘Yes Miss, Shelby can I get you anything?’ Dilas asks before he leaves to have Rachel’s wishes taken care of.

‘Coffee, when you have a moment, would be lovely thanks.’ Shelby loves Dilas, he is so thoughtful and not just because it is his job he really cares about Rachel.

Dilas leaves the room and Rachel turns to her mother, ‘So a confession sounds scandalous!’ Rachel is hooked.

‘OK so maybe confession is a little dramatic but…’ Shelby looks for the right way to tell her daughter the news, ‘Russell and I are sleeping together.’ 

Rachel frowns as she takes in the revelations from her mother, Rachel has been in the Gytse family for a couple of years now and she is fully versed in all the pecadillios of the clan especially where sex is concerned. 

‘Rach, say something please!’ Shelby watches the emotions drift across her daughters face. 

‘Mama, I trust Russell and Judi completely, they have been nothing but honest with me all throughout my time here and they are family to me.’ Rachel is trying to formulate her response carefully. ‘What I mean is, I trust Russell is being a gentleman about things and that you entered into this with your eyes open so what you do behind closed doors is your private business.’ 

‘I am afraid I can’t tell if you are angry about this or not.’ Shelby thinks Rachel’s response was very guarded and she wanted an honest conversation with her daughter.

‘This house makes everything right Mama, did Russell or Judi push you into this?’ Rachel asks.

‘What? Rachel no of course not.’ Shelby looks truly scandalized at the thought.

‘Then I have no problem with you and Russell being intimate, Richard might not see it this way though.’ Rachel remembers her brother’s horror at the idea their mother ever had sex.

Shelby smiles, ‘I know I may well avoid that conversation for a while longer, Rach I know this is nuts, I know not everyone out there would understand but for me this is right.’ Shelby takes a breath. ‘Rachel in all my years I have never had a man treat me like Russell did the other night, ok the Imps I was put with tried to make things nice for me but it never really worked, even your father was clumsy and quick.’ Rachel scrunches up her face at the thought of them together. ‘I am not sure how it works with you and Quinn but oh Gods Russell is an amazing lover!’ Shelby blushes and so does Rachel.

‘Mama, believe me, I don’t need the details!’ Rachel tries to stop her mother telling her any more about the Gyste. 

‘OK OK I won’t go into any more details but phew-wee he has moves!’ Shelby bursts out laughing as her daughter covers her ears and la la la’s.

 

Santana and Dave are in the pool throwing a ball around and listening to some music when Nicol and Andrea saunter into the room and throw their towels on a couple of loungers. 

‘S’up sparkles?’ Santana has a name for everyone and Andrea is sparkles because she wears too much jewelry.

‘Santana I thought you would melt in water or sink from the weight of your ass!’ Andrea isn’t a fan of the Succubus either.

‘Har har!’ Santana mocks the Gyste. ‘You don’t usually hang out here on the estate, what’s up have you burned through all your pocket money for the month already?’ Santana knows all about the free-spending of Eva’s household and Quinn’s insistence they reign it in a little.

‘Fuck you!’ Nicol bristles at the comment.

‘Nah I have standards!’ Santana continues to badger the pair but Dave tugs her back a little.

Nicol and Andrea ignore the other two and lay back on the loungers, ‘She thinks she is something special.’ Andrea bitches at Santana under her breath.

‘Don’t rise to it!’ Dave says to his friend quietly. ‘They want to start something.’ Dave knows that Sam hates the fighting and Santana doesn’t need another strike against her for fighting. 

‘You’re right, c’mon let’s bounce!’ Santana makes her way out of the pool and goes to get her robe but Andrea and Nicol can’t let it lie.

‘Off you trot to your master!’ Nicol smirks as Santana flinches, the idea Sam is her boss riles her up.

‘Please San, let’s go!’ Dave tries again to draw Santana out of an argument and he sees Rachel approach from the far end.

Andrea drops her glasses down to look over them at Sam’s mate, ‘That’s it, run along like a good little whore!’ 

‘That’s it!’ Santana moves towards Andrea who is surprised the Succubus has taken the bait so easily. ‘You know what you need a lesson in basic manners Gyste.’ 

Rachel has walked into something she can see that but what happened she has no idea, ‘Santana stop!’ Rachel spots the sign Santana is about to attack and her voice momentarily brings the Succubus back to the room.

Andrea stands and moves towards Dave and Santana though, she is going to enjoy having the Succubus fuck up again.

Rachel is amazed Quinn’s cousins are so stupid as to challenge Santana and Dave in their own home, ‘Andrea if you take one more step…’ Rachel threatens but Nicol has become brave.

‘You’ll do what? Sing until our ears bleed.’ Nicol and Andrea sneer and laugh at their own joke but Rachel has heard enough from them and will not have this turn into a fight.

‘Down Gyste!’ Rachel finds strength through the bond and her eyes flick to a golden color, Nicol turns shocked at the sight and drops to her knees for Quinn’s mate.

‘The fuck is that?’ Andrea says as she spots Rachel with yellow blazing Gyste eyes.

‘Oh shit,’ Dave watches it unravel in the room quickly and moves quickly to the house phone and dials for Sam.

‘I said down, or do you really want me to teach you manners?’ Rachel bellows at the remaining Gyste standing.

Andrea takes a moment then decides to kneel as does Dave who has summons Sam for help.

Santana walks slowly towards Rachel and holds out her hand to touch the little diva’s shoulder, ‘Rach, hey honey it’s me.’ Santana tries to calm the diva.

Sam stumbles through the door slipping on the wet floor as he does and crashing into Dave on the floor.

The drama as it unfolds brings Rachel out of her daze a little and she looks to Santana, ‘I can’t stop it!’ She says in a strangled tone. 

‘Dave, what happened?’ Sam asks, ‘Rachel are you ok?’ He moves from Dave to Rachel slowly but feels his Gytse rise as he gets closer to her.

‘Miss!’ Dilas is the next through the door with Jake and Ryder close behind, Ryder moves to cover Rachel and Jake gets between the tiny human and the true-Gyste in the room.

‘Dilas she is in some kind of rage.’ Santana tells the Eunuch as he approaches Rachel. 

Sam thinks fast, if Rachel loses her temper there will be a fight within the family so he grabs the little diva in a bear hug and attempts to push calm through the bond but Rachel resists and lashes out in a frenzied fashion.

‘Just put her on the ground!’ Santana says in a panic.

Dilas sees Ryder move to Rachel, the trouble is Ryder and Jake are not permitted to allow anyone to hurt the diva and he is attempted to protect his mistress. 

Quinn finally catches up with the rest of the group and runs into the room, the Gytse comes quickly to the front of her mind and she knocks Sam to one side, ‘Down Gyste!’ She demands all the room submit and no-one resists but Rachel who faces up to Quinn with tears in her eyes. 

Rachel moves to her Gyste for comfort and Quinn takes her tightly into her arms and feels immediately the fear and turmoil within Rachel, thinking rapidly about the effect the Gyste surging through her mate has she takes two quick steps and dumps both of them into the pool.

The shock of the cool water does the trick and Rachel splutters back to herself as she comes to the surface gasping for air with Quinn behind her, Quinn sweeps Rachel closer to the side of the pool and finally relaxes a little as she sees Rachel’s normal chestnut eyes staring back at her, ‘There we go little one!’ Quinn jokes.

Lifting herself from the water first Quinn looks about the pool house at the other on the floor, ‘Sam get up now.’ She says.

Dilas rises too slowly and goes straight to Rachel to assist her in getting dry, followed by Ryder and Jake in collecting towels for Rachel and sitting her on a lounger.

Sam helps his mate up and Dave follows behind keeping Sam between him and Quinn for safety.

‘OK slowly and clearly, what the fuck is going on?’ Quinn asks them all.

‘These Gyste started it, they were pushing for a fight.’ Santana points to the cousins who are sheepishly standing.

‘The Succubus was about to feed on us!’ Nicol lies to cover their behavior.

Quinn watches them all then picks on Andrea, ‘OK as you insist on lying to me.’ Quinn moves closer and grabs the Gyste,  _ The truth this time! _

Andrea feels helpless in the bond and the sensation of Quinn rifling through her mind is uncomfortable to say the least. 

Once Quinn has the truth she moves back to Sam, ‘Sammy take them and clean up, I’ll deal with Rachel.’ Quinn motions to Dilas to take Rachel from the room and when they all leave she is left with just Andrea and Nicol.

‘You two need to learn some house rules, if you insist on annoying the mate of a Blood-Gyste you must be prepared to face the consequences and I assure you no matter how you try to con my family I will always find the truth!’ Andrea sinks back a little, ‘The next time I find you have tried something like this I will give you nightmares beyond hell do I make myself clear!’ 

Nicol and Andrea look terrified by the words of the Gyste and bow in submission to Quinn who just shakes her head at the pathetic pair and heads back to her chambers and Rachel.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel recovers from her temper but awakes to a new horror just before her big performance. Russell might finally have the family he always wanted and Rando makes good on his word.

Rachel slept all night quietly with her Gyste by her side waking often to check on her, she feels relaxed and well rested when she wakes and heads to the bathroom.

Quinn groans, she fell asleep the last time with her head off the pillow and now has a crick in her neck for her troubles.

‘Quinn!’ Rachel’s shout from the bathroom has Quinn stumbling from the bed and rushing to her aid, when she gets to the bathroom she sees her mate standing over the sink staring at her own reflection.

‘Rach? Rach, what is it?’ Quinn tries to look around Rachel’s body to see what has her so upset but she has to wait for Rachel to turn and then sees the problem straight away.

Rachel’s eyes are golden and she is as white as a ghost, ‘Quinn, what is happening to me?’ Rachel turns and throws herself into Quinn’s arms in floods of tears.

‘Rachel my love you are going to be ok, just… here..’ Quinn scoops her up and sits her on the vanity while she fetches some tissue to wipe the tears that are still flowing.

‘But look at me, I have dissolved into madness!’ Rachel is ever the drama Queen. 

Quinn wipes her Mates face of tears and smiles at the stricken woman, ‘Rach baby, you are not mad, you are having my children!’ Quinn waits for Rachel’s brain to catch up with the news.

‘Children?’ Rachel asks and Quinn nods.

‘Children?’ Rachel asks again, Quinn adds a smile and nods again.

‘How?’ Rachel asks perplexed suddenly, ‘The band you wear?’ Rachel thought they were waiting. ‘I have to perform!’ Rachel remembers that tonight she makes her debut with a small part in Jesse’s concert later. 

‘You can still perform baby, you are pregnant not injured.’ Quinn begins to register the surprise they both have had this morning. 

‘But my eyes Quinn, I look awful!’ Rachel wonders how to cover her yellow orbs for the performance.

‘I am sure they will settle darling, we are having a baby… or two.’ Quinn ponders.

‘Two?’ Rachel looks up to her mate, ‘Twins, oh shit twins, oh gods I am going to be huge!’ Rachel begins to wail again and plants her face into Quinn.

 

Russell and Shelby wait for Judi to go down to breakfast, Russell is pleased with the outcome of telling Rachel about their relationship but keeping things from Richard may be problematic in the long run and Russell isn’t used to sneaking around in his own house. 

‘Russ remember to speak with Quinn about the incident at the pool yesterday, I can’t believe Rachel would be so easily drawn into a tiff with Eva’s children.’ Judi talks as she walks with Shelby behind Russell. 

‘I will, it sounded all very strange to me, Shelly did she mention it to you?’ Russell asks Rachel’s mother.

‘Nothing but I spoke to her just before she went to the pool and she seemed just fine if a little shocked.’ Shelby makes a face at Judi and they both frown behind Russell. 

‘Quinn won’t worry about the others just Rachel though, the rest of the world could burn and Quinn would ignore it of Rachel was in the room.’ Russell laughs at his own comment but Judi shakes her head at him.

 

Sebastian and Elliott pass by the chambers of Quinn and Rachel and Sebastian pauses, something is off in there but he cannot pinpoint it. ‘What are you doing?’ Elliott asks his claimer.

‘Nothing, Quinn smells funny.’ Sebastian says cryptically.

Elliott just looks confused and follows Sebastian towards breakfast.

 

‘Sam, do we have any more money?’ Dave calls through to Sam’s chamber from the sitting room.

Sam stumbles out of his bedroom half dressed, ‘Money? Do you have nothing left for the month?’ Sam thought they had plenty of allowances, he will need to have Santana look over the finances for his household.

‘Yeah, but I mean for something big?’ Dave is staring at the TV.

‘I have something big for you!’ Sam jumps over the back of the couch and nips at his claims neck.

Santana looks on with a smile, ‘Dave don’t let him fool you, he’s not so big!’ 

Sam makes a scandalized face towards his family, ‘I have been watching this programme all week, they made a boat and it looks like a good idea.’ Dave has been making some plans for the task.

Santana and Sam exchange looks, ‘Dave we can buy a boat, if we need one, we don’t need to make it like Rumpelstiltskin!’ Santana hates manual labor.

‘I know we can buy anything but I want us to do something together, a project for weekends and things?’ Dave loves the time he spends with each of them but they rarely do anything all together except watching TV. 

Sam looks for help from Santana, ‘Er we can think about it.’ Sam tries to divert a decision for now. 

Dave rolls his eyes but he will visit this again, he won’t let them fob him off he wants to do something together.

 

Richard and Philip are chatting together at breakfast, Richard will be returning to the seminary after the weekend and he is quizzing all the Eunuch before he leaves the house. 

‘Darling let Philip eat his breakfast.’ Shelby makes an apologetic face to the Eunuch.

‘Has anyone spoken with Quinn this morning?’ Sebastian announces his arrival with his loudest voice. 

‘Morning Son!’ Russell ignores his youngest child and turns back to Iris in her highchair who is feeding some porridge to. 

‘Morning Family, now has anyone spoken to Quinn this morning?’ Sebastian asks as he grabs a coffee before sitting in his usual place. 

‘Morning all!’ Sam says as he walks through with his house behind him.

‘Hey, cutie-pie!’ Santana pinches Iris’ cheek as she passes and the little girl chuckles heartily. 

‘Am I invisible?’ Sebastian asks dramatically, ‘Elliott can you still see me?’ He waves his hand in front of his claims face. 

‘Sebastian stop being a child!’ Judi says, ‘No we haven’t seen your sister yet this morning.’ 

‘Who is looking for me?’ Quinn asks with a huge smile on her face as she moves into the room holding her mate’s hand tightly.

‘I was, hey Rach you OK?’ Sebastian notices Rachel’s eyes and draws all the rooms attention to the little woman.

‘Rachel, my gods!’ Shelby stands to check her daughter.

‘OH my!’ Judi squeals and rushes her daughter and Rachel at speed.

Quinn is still beaming at the room and accepts Judi’s hugs and tears.

Russell stands and approaches his daughter with a grin that matches the blonde’s, ‘Congratulations sweetheart.’ Russell embraces his daughter and kisses her on the top of her head as he too beams at the room.

Dave looks about in a confused fashion, he is out of the loop but so is Ava and Iris who simultaneously scream at the lack of breakfast now Russell and Judi have neglected them.

‘OH hush you two!’ Rebekah enters the room and looks about at all the noise and fuss over the mated pair, she sits and begins feeding the greedy little Gyste which quickly quieten them down.

‘So Rachie, you are going to be a baby mama!’ Santana gets her chance to hug the woman tightly.

‘I know I am going to be the size of a house!’ Rachel is still coming to terms with the news.

‘Nonsense!’ Shelby says to her daughter, the idea of becoming a grandmother is thrilling her since Richard was the last of her babies to leave her. 

Quinn just continues smiling as she pulls her Mate’s chair out for her so she can sit, ‘Rach you need to eat plenty for the little ones, I’ll have them make you an omelet to start with.’ Quinn is already starting to fuss over her lover.

‘Quinnie let her take it one thing at a time, don’t over fuss OK.’ Judi says recognizing the Gyste need to control everything coming to the fore. 

‘OK, just have some more water babe, the babies will tire you quickly.’ Quinn is running through a mental checklist of things Rachel will need during her pregnancy.

‘How many are in there?’ Sebastian says with a full mouth.

‘We won’t know until we have a scan, I will arrange one for later and some blood tests for you too, oh I should have some vials made up for you to carry the babies may be greedy like these two are!’ Quinn says.

Rachel just shakes her head, Quinn is going to drive her nuts before the end of the day at this rate. 

The room settles into some baby talk and general chit chat while they all eat breakfast. 

 

Eva watches the bulk of the family leave for the day, Shelby and Judi are with Rachel and Santana, Quinn left with Russell and Dilas twenty minutes ago and she just saw Sam, Mike, and the twins leave with Rebekah in a town car. Now that is all settled she needs to work quickly, there will be a short window of time while the Eunuch eat breakfast and tidy the personal chambers of their masters for Eva to work in.

‘Nicol, go to the Archive and look for this text, bring it to me but make sure no-one sees you remove it.’ Eva hands a piece of paper to Nicol and then turns to Andrea, ‘Go to Quinn’s rooms, Dilas is with her but still you won’t have much time before the Eunuch return, find the chain it could be in the bedchamber somewhere and bring it to me in the sunroom.’ Andrea nods and rushes to look for the magical chain.

Eva heads to Russell’s office, Philip is at the boathouse with Dave and she will have a clear view of him returning from the patio windows, Russell is a man of little mystery and she is sure he will hide personal papers where he always has.

Russell’s office is lavish, he has expensive tastes his sister can tell that much from the paintings that hang on the wall, he also has an antique rug and handmade leather furniture all of which Eva mentally prices as she looks about. 

Nicol finds the text easily, the archive is a vast set of rooms in the center of the house, the windows all look onto a courtyard where a ceremonial statue to the gods takes pride of place. Nicol would love a room like this one day but there is no way this one will be his, the family home goes to Quinn no doubt as everything else does.

Andrea takes a breath in Quinn’s chambers, there is a mess she isn’t used to seeing, cups on the table and shoes on the floor that look like they were tossed aside, in the bedchamber the bed remains unmade and the light is on in the bathroom. 

Andrea makes a choice and heads for the right-hand side of the bed and the small drawers that are there, in the top drawer she frowns when she sees the contents. Watches, there must be twenty watches in the drawer all in little boxes displayed so the owner can see all the faces, one is obviously missing and Andrea assumes this is Quinn’s side when she also sees Quinn’s ceremonial amulet like her mother has. 

The other drawers do not have what she is looking for, there are condoms and lube and a dildo that Andrea cannot believe Quinn needs. In the bottom drawer, there is also a dagger and a strange looking tube she doesn’t understand. 

Andrea crosses to the other side of the bed and to the drawers she now understands are Rachel’s, in the top is mainly jewelry, some watches like Quinn’s and half a dozen ring boxes obviously Quinn likes to spoil her mate. 

In the second drawer magazines and some headphones, the magazines are all from the theatre district.

At the bottom drawer Andrea is confused by what she sees, there are small glass stones in the bottom, brightly coloured and shining in the dim light of the room, there is a small red pouch and Andrea scoops this up to open it and examine the contents, as she does so a noise from the outer room makes her turn quickly and she fumbles the bag onto the floor. 

In the outer room Jake looks for Rachel’s shoes, he can sees many pairs so he decides to call the Diva to be sure, she picks up straight away. ‘Hi Miss, what do the shoes look like again?’ Jake asks and Andrea listens for the reply to move from the room, she should be able to get to the Eunuch entrance from where she is without being noticed. 

‘There is a dark blue pair with gold on them….’ Jake pauses ‘No not those ok, oh these ones that are in the box from George’s?’ 

Andrea collects the pouch from the floor without care and rushes for the Eunuch warren to the right of the bed.

Jake collects two pairs of shoes and pushes the door to the bedroom open to look for the headphones Rachel requested, she said they were in the drawers and he finds them easily, on the floor by the bed is a small golden chain on the floor and Jake scoops it up and leaves it on the top of the drawer then leaves the room. 

 

Back in Russell’s office Eva curses her brother again, he is organized and careful not to have left anything lying around, she needs the codes for the security alarms if she is going to pull off her planned heist at the main offices of Fabray Inc. 

After a short while Eva gives up looking she will need to think of another way to gain access to the weaponry she knows Sue has in the company house in the city, Eva must rethink her approach though because without the codes the Imps will be all over anyone trying to get into the buildings.

In the sunroom, Nicol waits and Andrea arrives out of breath, ‘Did you run?’ He asks.

‘A little, one of the Imps came back so I had to leave through the staff exits, the bloody Eunuch corridors are like a maze.’ Andrea had to double back a few times until she discovered a way back into the main house.

‘Never ventured in there, what is it like?’ Nicol and Andrea didn’t grow up here so they are unaccustomed to the Eunuch warrens or the seemingly secret passages that are all over the vast building. 

‘Good you are both back, did you get what I ask for?’ Eva needs that chain if she is going to have enough money to rebuild her life without the family and she understands it is so valuable to her contact that she will be rich for sure.

‘Here, the text was where you said it would be.’ Nicol has spent very little time in the Archive before, he has little interest in history.

‘The chain was where you said it was too, it isn’t much to look at though.’ Andrea had checked the bag as she traveled down the stairs, the chain is so thin and small she cannot possibly understand what it is. 

‘That’s ok, I only needed a small amount anyway.’ Eva has been told the chain would be slim and unassuming so she isn’t worried and does not look into the bag to check what her daughter has. 

 

Quinn is at her desk at the council, Dilas is sat on the couch reading his paper for the day, he will be bored in half an hour she knows he will but he can have a relaxing day never-the-less and she is sure he will appreciate her surprise for him later.

The knock on the door is Nicolas, he peeks in and Quinn calls him forward, ‘Miss Quinn, Rando is outside for you, he would like a meeting.’ 

Quinn thinks for a moment, she could make him wait for an hour or two out there while she has coffee and a biscuit but she won’t bother with games today. ‘OK Nick send him it, bring coffee for us all including Dilas please.’ Quinn stands and straightens herself for the visitor.

‘Shall I leave Ma’am?’ Dilas asks.

‘Nah, stay where you are it will piss him off!’ Quinn smirks at her devious plan and Dilas remains seated, he will ignore the visitor and carry on with his reading.

When Nicolas guides the Vamp into the room Rando bristles to see Dilas ignoring him in the room, Quinn holds her hand out to him and he takes it with a false smile which Quinn returns. 

‘Good to see you, Rando, what can I do for you this morning?’ Quinn returns to her seat at the desk and Rando takes the seat opposite her.

‘As we agreed to share information I bring news of the house of Rey.’ Rando uses the older term for the Jones-Rey clan.

‘Of course, I have barely looked at anything for a few days.’ Quinn feigns disinterest and Dilas smirks from behind his reading knowing she has had Imps posted all over the council to find out what is happening with them.

‘Well, I have some contacts within their house, I understand both Petra and Marcus have an interest in the lake development of your brother.’ Rando begins.

Quinn isn’t surprised by this she knows all about the claim to mineral rites and every move they have made within the council to push their right to drill for borate. ‘They are very keen to gain access to the borate they believe is there I understand this.’ 

‘Yes, they are moving on from this though, to the west of the lake is land which has traditionally been neutral, I believe your father gave the land to an Imp clan as a promise of protection.’ Quinn frowns at this news.

‘Are you talking about the Lopez land?’ Santana’s grandfather was gifted the lands but this was disputed when Santana’s father and uncles went against the council.

‘You know the land is technically still in the Lopez family but as the men were all killed the council may have control of it.’ Imp clans have a patriarchal inheritance, once the main male family members died there was no-one left to inherit. 

Quinn is a little taken back by this news, firstly she knows Santana has a male uncle who is alive if not free and secondly the vamps have been privy to this information without Quinn’s knowledge and she hates being behind the news on anything. ‘So have they been petitioning the council for the rites to the land?’ Quinn asks.

‘Yes, as I understand it they have a hair-brained plan to mine under the Fabray land and into the borate, bringing it to the surface on their land.’ Rando realizes he has fallen on golden information to Quinn.

In the bond, Quinn gets the attention of her Eunuch while looking to the sky in a thoughtful manner,  _ Dilly as soon as this fucker leaves get me Santana and my father!  _

Quinn returns her attention to Rando, ‘So the question is, what is your price for this information.’ Quinn asks the vamp outright.

Rando smiles, ‘I must say I expected more of a dance.’ Rando appreciates Quinn’s honesty though. ‘For now… Nothing, I am working on a project which I may need an ally for in the future but I will not expect you to agree without thought.’ Rando wants to hold a favor from the Gytste.

‘OK, I will hold the favor to you for a while, may I ask one more thing of you?’ Quinn asks the Vamp.

Rando perks up, ‘Yes certainly anything I can do for you Quinn.’ 

‘Would you do me the honor of attending the naming of my first children, Rachel is with child and we will need a Vamp clan to bear witness, you seem to be a perfect choice.’ Quinn is being honest with him, she thinks that his clan can never be as bad as the Rey clan are. 

‘It will be my utter pleasure, these will be the first of your children?’ Rando hadn’t heard Quinn has any other children

‘Yes, I am apprehensive about their arrival, Rachel is willful so I can only imagine how that trait will mix with the Gyste in me.’ Quinn has been thinking all morning about the children Rachel is carrying for them. 

‘I am sure you have a strong and healthy Mate.’ Quinn smiles at the Vamp, this is the first time he has let his liberal views slipped and spoken like a true Vamp about Rachel.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn must deal with the ups and downs of a pregnant mate, Shelby realizes becoming a grandmother has its downside.

Rachel has spent the day making the final arrangements for her first and possibly last public performance, Shelby and Judi have been by her side giving moral support but both are preoccupied with the news of the pregnancy.

‘Tell me the truth though, how dangerous is the pregnancy to Rachel?’ Shelby and Judi have talked about names and nursery furniture and car seats and teddy bears but Shelby now needs some serious answers.

‘Honestly?’ Shelby nods. ‘Deadly!’ Judi waits for this to sink in with Rachel’s mother then clarifies, ‘In years gone by many human women died during their pregnancies but today I would say Rachel will be relatively safe.’ 

‘Relatively?’ Shelby has birthed eight children in her time and she knows she comes from good stock but she is scared for her daughter.

‘Nothing is one hundred percent even with regular human pregnancies but Rachel will have the full force of the Fabray medical staff at her beck and call from now on.’ Judi remembers how that felt and she envisages Rachel becoming very annoyed very quickly. ‘The main risk in the past was the loss of blood during the birth, if the babies are not delivered quickly then they may feed on their mother.’ Judi says this matter of factly but Shelby is horrified.

‘Are you fucking serious?’ Shelby becomes red in the face at the thought, ‘The Gyste might actually eat their mother from the inside out?’ 

Judi accepts that when you put it like that it does sound horrific, ‘Well not quite like that but the babies are born with their tusks and they do bite for around ten days after birth but of course, that is only Blood-Gyste children Rachel and Quinn may have true-Gyste like Brit and Mike.’ Judi hopes Rachel remembers all of this from her first weeks at the house, ‘Quinn will need to feed the babies for the first week or so then once the tusks retreat they will feed like human babies with no outward signs they are different.’ Judi found this part the hardest, Quinn and Sebastian were the worst both screamed like they were in pain for feeding during this time and Judi could only watch them too afraid to touch the toothed devils. 

‘You and Russell could have more children though couldn’t you?’ Shelby has never spoken with her friend before about this. 

‘We took the difficult decision not to have any more, Quinn and Sebastian took a lot out of me and each pregnancy becomes more difficult so rather than put me at any further risk we called it a day at four of them.’ Judi still would have tried for more but Russell was adamant they would stop after Quinn and her twin was born.

‘Quinn seems very uptight about the idea of children.’ Shelby knows all about the arguments the mates have had so she was surprised this has happened so soon. 

‘Russell was the same, they are scared that is all but once she holds them for the first time she will forget all those fears.’ Judi saw it in her mate’s eyes when he first saw Brittney and Sam, he was in love and never looked back. ‘It will all be over soon enough, Rachel and Quinnie will barely have time to be afraid or make all the arrangements needed for the twins arrival.’ 

Shelby smiles at this, ‘Do you think it will be twins?’ She asks.

‘It is most likely yes Blood-Gytse rarely have less than twins, true-Gyste are slightly different but they still have a high number of twins in comparison to humans.’ Judi needs to remind Quinn about the various blessings she and Rachel will be expected to attend before the birth. 

 

‘Five, six, seven, eight!’ Cassie taps out a tempo and watches Rachel closely, ‘Stop!’ She screams at the musicians.

Rachel slumps forward, she is never getting through this let alone perform later.

‘Rachel, you need to rest, you have the numbers in your head and you can do this but you are overthinking it and fucking everything up.’ Cassie is a hard taskmaster for sure. ‘Go find Quinn and have her fuck you senseless before the performance and I am sure you will be fine!’ Cassie wiggles her ass at the smiling face of Jesse, ‘It always works for Jesse!’ 

‘I… well I guess for my art I could.’ Rachel says absentmindedly. 

‘Good, now off you go, get some rest and a good cock, see you back here before the performance!’ Cassie is impatient to have some alone time with Jesse this is true but she also needs Rachel to stop overthinking tonight or she will flop for sure. 

 

Quinn waits for her father to call her into his office at the council chambers, he has been in meetings all morning and she is impatient to talk to him about the Jones-Rey plans.

‘Quinn, come sit with me, what a morning!’ Russell is not exaggerating, he has had meeting after meeting with the clans this morning, all the Gyste families regularly catch up but Russell has been to busy to meet with them in a while so they came at him with months worth of questions.

‘I guess so, the clans are very demanding right now.’ Quinn deals with the day to day but her father still holds all the cards when it comes to favor and deals with the clans. 

‘You are not kidding, I guess you want to talk babies?’ Russell is keen to be hands-on with his daughter and her mate during the pregnancy.

Quinn frowns, ‘No, I haven’t had time to think about it really, I have some concerns about a Vamp clan encroaching on our land.’ Quinn feels guilty her father is so excited about the babies but she hasn’t had time to enjoy the news yet.

‘Oh, right well who is the problem with?’ Russell hadn’t heard of any problems with the vamps but that is why he has Quinn here at the council. 

‘The Jones-Rey clan are plotting to steal borate from below our land, they are trying to take control of the Lopez land.’ Quinn is sure her father remembers the land.

‘But the land was passed to… oh right.’ Russell understands the issue now. 

‘I have a plan, what if Sam claims the land as Santana’s mate?’ Quinn thought this could work.

Russell goes to his shelf and selects a book from the top, ‘I have the deeds here somewhere obviously Santana cannot inherit outright but you might be right depending on the wording on the deed.’ Russell hasn’t looked at the Lopez paper for years when Santana’s uncle was imprisoned the whole affair was put behind them and Russell assumed the land would one day pass to a male heir who could prove their rites. 

Quinn waits for her father to read through some of the title then her phone chimes so she looks to see who it is. 

‘ _ Hey baby, wanna play with this _ ?’ Quinn splutters a little, Rachel has sent a racy photo of herself to accompany the cheeky text message. 

‘Who is that?’ Russell asks, he can sense his daughter in the family bond.

‘Rachel, was Mama horny during her pregnancies?’ Quinn asks offhandedly. 

‘Not so much the first time but with you and Seb she was rampant, is Rachel making demands?’ Russell sympathizes with his daughter, pregnant women can be erratic with their emotions and Quinn is yet to learn the hard way.

‘I think so, I should go but can you look into this for me? I really need to nip the Jones-Rey plans in the bud before they get ahead of themselves.’ Quinn is torn.

‘Of course, I will go through this and let Dilas know what to do next if there are papers to file, go be with Rachel before she implodes.’ Russell winks at his daughter who rises from the chair and leaves with her phone in her hand. 

‘ _ ON MY WAY’  _

 

Sebastian is deep in the forest with a small map and his torch in hand, just below where Rachel and Shelby were found.

He checks the map again he is sure he is the right place but he cannot find anything that looks like a circle, in the distance he spots something shimmering that catches his eye.

Sebastian is eager to make Quinn proud of him with this inquiry, he has been on his best behavior with Leroy and hopefully, the Domus will report back to his sister with this and she can see he is serious, just as he is thinking about how Quinn can reward him the shimmer flashes brightly.

Whatever it is it is static which Sebastian is easily able to move towards, the light is flashing now at regular intervals which Sebastian is about one hundred meters from. 

In the trees, something else moves and Sebastian is momentarily drawn away from the light and when he turns back it has gone, he continues back towards where the light was but nothing is shimmering or flashing now.

‘Bollocks!’ Sebastian mutters, he moves to the exact spot he saw the light and sees nothing but he feels a tingle where his feet touch the ground.

On the floor is a shadow, not from him but in the shape of a person or thing, Sebastian freezes in place trying to remember how Rachel described the portal when she had fallen in previously.

‘Who’s that?’ Sebastian whips his head around as he hears a noise, ‘Don’t be foolish I am a high-blood Gyste!’ Sebastian shakes his head at his own words if this is a demon or a witch they won’t give a hoot if he is a Gytse or a hamster. 

The noise moves to the other side of the Gytse and he turns again this time sure he has seen something out of the corner of his eye as he moves. 

‘Come out and show yourself!’ Sebastian demands again but his words stop as he sees a figure appear before him, Sebastian can be dramatic and he can be a little wimpy in comparison to his siblings but he feels justified in the squeal he lets out this time.

 

Quinn doesn’t let the town car pull to a stop before she is out and up the driveway to the house, Rachel has been sending more and more salacious messages since the first one at the council offices and her latest threat to ‘do herself’ is not happening if Quinn has anything to say on the matter.

‘Quinn do you…’ Judi begins, ‘have a moment.’ she finishes to her daughters back as she disappears up the stairs.

The door is open slightly and Quinn slams it shut to announce her arrival to her mate, she strips off some clothes leaving them on the floor as she moves towards her prize in the bedchamber.

‘Quinn?’ Rachel calls.

‘No it’s your booty call!’ Quinn replies as she comes through the door to her mate who is on the bed naked and obviously extremely turned on already.

‘I hope you didn’t start without me!’ Quinn is naked now too and hops onto the bed to join Rachel finally.

‘Don’t think I wouldn’t!’ she warns, ‘you took long enough did you walk home?’ 

Quinn has no answer and mounts her mate kissing her deeply, ‘the last photo had me thinking!’ Quinn pulls from Rachel and maneuvers herself behind her mate as she moves Rachel onto her knees.

‘Less thinking and more fucking Gytse!’ Rachel leans back searching for Quinn’s cock which is standing proudly to meet the diva.

‘OK as you wish.’ Quinn moves closer and grips the base of her dick moving the head through Rachel’s sopping pussy to use the natural lubrication available to her. 

Rachel lets out a primal growl as she feels Quinn slowly enter her all the way to the hilt, Rachel’s eye roll back and she takes a deep breath when Quinn begins to move her hips in a smooth motion.

Quinn is in heaven, being this close to her mate makes all the stresses of the world fade away to nothing and she gives herself over completely to satisfy Rachel.

‘Quinn, more please hard now!’ Rachel is becoming more frantic to reach her orgasm as she feels the tingle in her toes begin.

The Gyste smiles at the wanton nature of her mate below her and speeds up to match the wriggling diva who is reaching back to encourage her mate to do more for her.

‘Rachel baby hold still, don’t… fuck…. Don’t fight me!’ Quinn speeds up again and grips the hips of her mate tightly to gain the friction they both need to reach their peak.

Rachel feels her eyes changing and the Gytse rising in her which is unusual and a little frightening but she knows Quinn will always keep her safe.

The feel of Rachel changes as Quinn feels the sweat begin to rise on her forehead with the effort she is expelling as they fuck hard, ‘Rach… Rach!’ Quinn has no idea what she is saying as she lets the moment take them both, Rachel clamps tight as she cums hard, so tight Quinn struggles to move or finish herself but she is determined to follow her mate to orgasm so she lets the Gyste rise and taps into the emotions of her mate which propels her into an earth-shattering finish.

‘Ergh Fuck!!’ Rachel screams out.

‘Rach!’ Quinn slumps out of Rachel’s pussy and they fall to the bed in a heap.

‘Shit Quinn, is this what pregnancy does?’ Rachel fights to catch her breath.

Quinn has no answer, she closes her eyes and lets the bliss take her into a sleep of contentment. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian falls into trouble but deals with it admirably, Quinn cannot help being proud of her little Diva...

‘Where is Sebastian?’ Quinn asks as she stands in the foyer of the theatre ten minutes before Rachel’s performance.

‘He didn’t leave with us, I didn’t see him all day.’ Judi says, she hasn’t seen anything of her son for days if she is honest but knows he is ok because her husband hasn’t been ranting lately.

‘He should be here, we should all be in our seats!’ Quinn is possibly more nervous than her mate tonight, this has been so important to Rachel and Quinn has supported her all the way.

‘Quinn, let’s all go through and Sebastian will take his seat when he gets here.’ Russell wants to take his seat, he needs a drink and knows he won’t get one stood out here.

‘Your father is right, we can all get settled for the performance.’ Shelby is nervous too, her daughter has worked so hard on this and Shelby cannot wait to see the results of all that hard work.

Quinn begrudgingly agrees and moves through to the box she has bought for the night, it seats a dozen and the others from the family here tonight are in the stalls with good seats of course.

Santana and Sam are already seated when Quinn is followed through by her guests and Quinn smiles, at least her brother is supporting her even if her twin isn’t. 

Dave appears with drinks for Sam and Santana, ‘The bar is real busy and they have sect members checking tickets.’ Dave isn’t used to being checked especially by vamps at a venue.

‘Did you have any problems?’ Sam asks, he too noticed the vamps being overtly bossy and he won’t have Dave upset. 

‘Where is Mike?’ Russell asks Quinn when he sees the Asian guy is missing.

‘He wanted to sit with Rebekah and Dilas in the stalls.’ Quinn worries Mike hasn’t settled into being her claim as well as he could have.

‘He gets on well with Rebekah though so I can understand that.’ Russell hopes Mike is happy, he works so hard with the twins he deserves some downtime.

Burt arrives with his date again, Quinn cannot remember her name and she searches the bond for clues. 

_ Stop that!  _ Russell feels Quinn searching in the bond and he chastises his daughter, she has probably forgotten something.

‘Russell, Quinn.’ Burt approaches, his role at the Colonial building downtown is working well for him, he has a new circle of friends and more to do than ever but he is happy. ‘You remember Dee?’ 

Quinn rolls her eyes but her father stands to greet the woman which is a little unusual. ‘Of course, how lovely of you to join us again, maybe Burt can bring you along to a family meal soon instead of hiding you away.’ Russell chastises his brother a little but is genuine in his greeting of Dee.

Dee is again nervous as she was at the blessing but she tries a little harder to make conversation even if it is with a high-blood. ‘Thank you for the invite Quinn, I have never managed to secure tickets for a Jesse concert before.’ 

Quinn smiles, another Jesse fan. ‘I am thankful you came and brought this guy with you.’ Quinn smiles then looks as the door to the box opens again.

‘Jake? What are you doing here?’ Quinn has her usual rules in place and Rachel is meant to be watched at all times.

‘Miss sent me, she would like a moment with you.’ Jake begged Rachel to call Quinn, he knew it would look like he abandoned his charge.

Quinn rises and leaves the box without a word, the others relax a little. ‘Jesus imagine if Rachel really sucked though!’ Santana, of course, is the joker.

Russell smiles, Rachel has an amazing voice and stage presence, well he thought she sings well and Shelby explained stage management to him and Judi told him how impressed everyone was at the rehearsals. 

 

Quinn walks straight to Rachel’s room, she left her there not long before to greet their guests and thought Rachel wanted to prepare alone. Because is is Rachel and because Quinn asks no-one for permission she pushes open the door and sees not only Rachel in the room but Jesse and whom she assumes is Cassandra. ‘Hey Rach, everything ok?’ 

Quinn can feel her mate is nervous about the performance but otherwise very comfortable in current company.

‘I said no intrusions, you can sit with your ear to the fucking door if you want Imp!’ Cassandra is abrasive and Jake slips back out the door.

Quinn watches him go but as she turns to warn the Vamp about manners Rachel pulls the Gyste close and all the annoyance fades quickly.

‘Quinn, good to finally meet you in person.’ Cassandra holds her hand out to Quinn in a relaxed fashion and Rachel squeezes her mate’s other hand for comfort.

‘Cassandra, a pleasure.’ Quinn smiles but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

‘Relax Quinn, I wanted to include you in the pre-match traditions so that when Rachel pops these sprogs out she is back in the saddle with your support.’ Cassie is rubbing Quinn the wrong way immediately but Quinn holds her tongue for Rachel.

‘The timing is poor I agree but children are a blessing.’ Jesse sees the Gyste tense at his claimers words. 

‘Rachel had a lifetime ahead of her though to breed for you Quinn, you could have waited for her to enjoy a career.’ Quinn looks down at her mate for answers but again Jesse steps in.

‘Cassie! Honey Rachel told you it was a mistake this time, Quinn wouldn’t have put Rachel’s career at risk she pushed Rachel to try.’ Jesse moves towards the vamp, ‘Like you do with me because she loves Rachel.’ 

Cassie and Quinn both relax, Quinn wonders if Jesse has some powers of his own where calming is concerned.

‘Quinn, my apologies, I have worked with many great artists but Rachel is up there and I was too invested in the moment, please I meant no insult to you or your mate.’ Cassie practically melts into the touch of her thrall and Quinn is again perplexed.

‘I am going to be the proud mama to those babies but I admit we could have timed it better when the babies arrive you have my word my mate will be free to carry on her career if she desires it with my complete support.’ Quinn holds Rachel to her side and shows through the bond she is honest.

‘Well now all that is over shall we get on with the traditional routine, I have to finish it before I perform or only the Gods can help me.’ Jesse is dramatic again.

 

Sebastian stumbles through the doors of the house and slams the door shut, ‘Udan!’ Sebastian screams for his Eunuch.

First to his side though is Remus, the elderly Eunuch has no charge and is free to oversee most of the Eunuch. ‘Sire, what is it?’ Remus stands back he spends little time with the family and is not aware if touch is in order so sticks to his old-fashioned ways.

‘Help me to my rooms please, can you have Udan called.’ Sebastian reaches for Remus and the Eunuch helps him to rise and leads to the first floor.

 

Elliott is stood in his quarters, he is waiting for Sebastian to return and still hoping they will be joining the family at the concert but as he looks to the clock again he doubts that will be a possibility, the door hits the wall with a clatter and Sebastian is guided through by an old man.

‘Sebastian!’ Elliott rushes his claimer.

‘I’m ok El just relax, get me a drink please.’ Sebastian tries to hold his fear in and not bite his claims head off.

‘Sir, oh Gods Sebastian what happened.’ Udan arrives through the Eunuch entrance and goes straight to Sebastian, after the rebel attack and the changes that followed Sebastian mended his relationship with Udan and now if the Eunuch is honest Sebastian spoils him. 

‘Please arrange a feed for me Udan, Nigel the Imp would be preferred but whoever is healthy will suffice, have Dilas call me but tell him not to disturb my sister please.’ Sebastian is weakened beyond belief. 

Elliott returns with a drink and a towel, Sebastian is dusty and sweaty. ‘Here, drink this, let me wipe your face you look like a homeless Imp.’ Elliott jokes. 

‘Remus, we have a problem.’ Sebastian is unaccustomed to any kind of authority, his father and sister have all of that but he guesses he is the highest law in the estate right now so he makes a decision. ‘Have the security ring brought back closer to the house and the area where Rachel went missing closed off completely to all but family until my father or sister tell you otherwise, do it now and do it quickly.’ Remus nods once and leaves the room, he is aware Sebastian is low on the list for the family but he also knows Quinn would trust him to make this order. 

‘Sebastian, Dilas is on the line for you.’ Udan holds the phone out for the Gyste to take. 

‘Dilas, I have ordered the security tightened, on Quinn’s order I was investigating the fairy circles, there is something in there, I was attacked I do not know exactly by what, I will feed and then have myself confined to the Guru until my father returns.’ Sebastian explains the bare minimum to Dilas but knows he will deal with this is the quietest way possible. 

Dilas makes some mental notes for questions he knows Quinn will want answering, ‘That is probably wise sir.’ Dilas motions for a drink, he is used to having some power at these events when Quinn is present but the Vamps are not as welcoming, ‘Can you tell me anything about the attack, Quinn will want details.’ 

Sebastian takes a deep breath, ‘The attacker was big I can say that but I am afraid nothing else sticks in my mind, I will have the Guru try to draw more from my mind but I believe I was under a thrall of some sort.’ Sebastian tries to recall anything that can help his sister, ‘When I came round, there was a person in the shadows and I…’ Sebastian tries again to make the connections in his mind. ‘The person was familiar, a woman I am sure of that but nothing else is clear to me.’ 

Dilas gives up on the drink, he will get a bottle of water at the concessions, ‘And this attack was in the same location as Rachel went missing?’ Dilas wants to know where to send the Domus if asked. ‘I will inform Quinn when the mistress has finished her performance unless you tell me to have them all return immediately.’ Dilas is not keen to ruin Rachel’s big night.

‘No please do not do that, I am safe and Remus will take care of the security, I will be at the Guru for when my father returns.’ Sebastian is so very tired.

‘Good, I will have Jake and Ryder positioned on Miss Rachel at all times.’ Dilas half thinks aloud. 

Sebastian hangs up the phone and looks for Udan, ‘Is the feed ready?’ He asks when he sees the Eunuch coming to his side.

‘Yes Sir, let me help you.’ Udan reaches for his master to help.

‘Elliott please go have a drink and then an early night, I will be at the Guru and Quinn will show you the way to visit when she sees fit please be kind and compliant to my sister, her gruffness hides her caring nature.’ Sebastian allows Udan to lead him to the feeding chambers. 

 

Again the crowd erupts in applause, Quinn leading the family in cheers and hand claps. ‘She is amazing Darling.’ Judi says to her daughter, she can see Quinn positively glowing with pride.

‘She is isn’t she, my children will be blessed to have a mother so talented.’ Quinn gushes. 

In all this Russell had forgotten about the babies, he looks at his daughter who is so alive in this moment and he knows the future will be tough for her and her mate but he also knows behind the youth Quinn is special, he sees for the first time Quinn is the future and maybe he can let go sooner than he thought. 

 

The after party is in full swing, Rachel is being moved about the room by Jesse to receive the adulation she deserves, Quinn is in the corner, Gyste are good at hiding away. 

‘Miss.’ Dilas moves beside Quinn.

Quinn turns to him and sees his stresses, ‘Who is it Dilas?’ Quinn knows one of the family is in trouble. 

‘Sebastian, he is ok he is at the Guru now, he was attacked investigating the fairy circle, Remus has tightened the security around the house.’ Dilas hopes he has covered it all succinctly for her.

‘Go inform my father, I will stay with Rachel until the end inform him but everyone else should follow my father.’ Quinn looks as Rachel has a vamp bow for her again, this is all a trip. 

‘Yes ma’ma.’ Dilas goes off to carry out his duties. 

 

Eva waits in the shadows, she used the performance as cover knowing her family would all be out of the house and able to easily hide her leaving unaccompanied. 

‘You have quite the set up here on the estate, I must say I wasn’t able to take in the beauty of the grounds the last time I visited.’ Jack Zool is sarcastic in his tone.

‘Here, this is what you need, the chain and the text to activate it, now the payment.’ Eva hates feeling this dirty but her claim had started all this and she is still mourning him despite outwardly telling her brother otherwise.

‘As agreed, two point five million.’ Jack points to the holdall and takes the text with the small bag on top.

Eva thinks the bag looks heavy, she should have brought someone to carry for her, ‘Remember, me and my children stay out of this, we come out of this clean.’ Eva will take her household away when Jack attacks the family again. 

‘Agreed, nice doing business with you.’ Jack turns and walks away without another word. 

 

Russell is standing outside the Guru waiting for Marin to come and update him on Sebastian, from the window he sees a shadowy figure move across the rose garden, moving closer he sees his sister and wonders where she has been this late in the evening. 

‘Sir?’ Guru Marin gets the attention of Russell.

‘Ah Guru Marin, how is my son.’ Russell has other things to concentrate on now. 

‘He is in himself ok, he has some fears and some worries about his lack of memory but I believe this is normal for the spell he has fallen under.’ Marin has spent time with Sebastian and unlike the usual stubborn child who comes and kicks off about the injustice of his life, Sebastian has been open and honest in his session this evening.

‘So he is ok and can return to the house?’ Russell knows Sebastian and he knows the boy hates being in the stark surroundings of the Guru.

‘Yes I believe he is, I would suggest perhaps your daughter can look deeper than I can.’ Russell raises an eyebrow at this comment, the family is very cautious where their powers and gifts are concerned.

‘Noted, I will take him now.’ Russell moves towards the room he knows his son is in, as he passes Guru Marin though the Guru has a warning.

‘This house is under attack again, I suggest you use your weapons carefully.’ Marin leaves Russell to accompany Sebastian back to the main house.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russell has to make the decisions again and he is out of practice, he alone can decide the fate of a family member though...

Rachel and Quinn walk in silence to the breakfast room, Rachel partied hard last night but avoided alcohol so her hangover is just the come down from the experience.

Russell waits for his daughter to arrive with his mate and claim by his side when Quinn comes closer he looks up. ‘We need a moment before we all go in.’ Rachel walks to the door thinking her mate will need privacy in all this. ‘No Rachel you stay, this is a shared decision.’ 

Quinn frowns, her father excludes their households in most decisions, ‘OK what is this about father.’ 

‘I know I have said no using your abilities on the family before but this morning we need to tap into all of them.’ Russell has to know what is going on and if anyone has betrayed them.

‘In the bond, you mean or do you want me to read all the room?’ Quinn knows her father is only half sure of her abilities and this would perhaps tip her hand.

‘Everyone, Sebastian had a spell cast on him, he was attacked and the witchcraft used is new.’ Russell has had the area in the forest cordoned off for safety.

‘May I approach your claim, sir?’ Quinn has an idea but will need the bond opened to the whole group to achieve her goal.

‘You may, Shelby Quinn will not hurt you.’ Quinn moves to her mother-in-law and takes Shelby’s face in her hands.

_ Relax Shelby, let me in and try something, let the bond stay open in your mind concentrate on this feeling and how powerful you feel.  _

Shelby shivers and tries hard to follow the words she hears echo in her mind, the sensation is unlike Russell’s bond and Quinn reaches into the deepest parts of her mind to open a new pathway for the bond to travel.

Quinn steps back and turns to her father again, ‘Sir may I approach your mate?’ She asks again and Russell nods.

_ Mother stay with me, let me guide you through this and relax for me.  _ Again Quinn searches for a pathway through her mother’s mind.

When Quinn steps back she looks to her father and then his women, ‘OK think don’t speak, let me open the bond.’ 

When Shelby feels the jolt from the bond she stutters a little but tries to follow the instructions,  _ Holy shit what is happening. _

_ Shelby is that you?  _ Judi is shocked to hear the voice of her friend in her head.

_ Welcome to the Gyste show ladies, Quinn will this be permanent?  _ Russell is impressed.

Quinn smiles, ‘Perhaps with some practice, the pathway to their minds has been opened and practice should keep it open.’

Shelby looks at her claimer and blushes, ‘Of course, that would be the first thing you do.’ Judi says and she slaps her mate.

‘So we go in there and open the bond and dig around a little.’ Russell says, he can see the benefits to having his Mate able to communicate this way in the bond and wishes he was able to push the boundaries in the way his daughter does. 

‘Wait!’ Shelby says,  _ Sorry, wait, what should we do?  _

Quinn smiles, ‘Just relax, I will do most of the digging in the bond sharing like this helps me to focus my thoughts.’ Quinn briefly explains how a very complicated process works.

‘Right, shall we do this?’ Russell guides them into the room. 

 

Eva sits nervously in her room, she may well have signed her own life away last night and she cannot remember now why she did it. 

‘Mama.’ Nicol bursts into the room, ‘Quinn and Russell are on the warpath over something that happened last night, do you think they know?’ 

Eva takes a breath, ‘Gather the others be prepared to leave here quickly, just do it.’ Eva must steel herself.

 

In his office Russell paces whilst he waits for the Domus to arrive on his estate again, the situation is a disgrace and his family has again put themselves at risk. 

Quinn enters with the Domus in tow, Russell is disappointed that Leroy is not here and has sent a lowly minion to his estate. 

‘Father, Leroy has gone straight to the clearing with Sebastian to investigate, Andrew is here just to begin looking in the Archive for us.’ Quinn comforts her father’s fears with this information.

‘Good, have Phillip show Andrew to the Archive then return we have things to discuss.’ Quinn nods and takes the extremely nervous Domus to begin his task. 

Outside Eva waits unsure what steps to take next, her brother has the power to make her whole family suffer, ‘He is free now but it is a busy day Aunty.’ Quinn says as she passes.

‘Eva!’ Russell calls, his sister is standing outside and it is pissing him off, ‘Get in here!’ 

Once the door closes on the pair Russell takes in his sister, ‘You have a confession I take it?’ Russell knows a guilty face even outside of the bond.

‘I do, I have given over something to the rebels in return for payment.’ Eva knows Quinn will take the information from her so she decides to come clean. 

‘A binding chain?’ Russell asks his sister.

Before she answers Quinn comes back into the room and Eva flinches, Quinn is a monster and Eva knows Russell might use this as an excuse to kill her. ‘Yes, I took a binding chain from Quinn’s room.’ Eva begins and Russell rises from his chair.

‘But you didn’t hand it over, why?’ Quinn asks her aunt.

Eva reaches into her pocket, ‘Here, the chain I sold was worthless.’ Eva drops the chain onto the table and Russell checks it.

‘So what did you sell the items for?’ Russell is heartbroken she would do this to the clan.

‘Power, money all the usual reasons, my children are without claims, we have had our income cut and I deserve better.’ Eva spits her words out, she decides if these are to be her last words she will get it all off her chest at once. 

‘How much money was this betrayal worth to you?’ Quinn asks, she can feel the disappointment from her father and the self-loathing from Eva.

‘Two and a half million.’ Eva replies and to the shock of the room Russell bellows a laugh.

‘Two point five million dollars, are you so stupid that is the price you ask to destroy your clan.’ Russell is still laughing.

‘I needed enough to get away.’ Eva tries to justify the price.

‘If you wanted to leave, just leave!’ Russell says, ‘You are not a prisoner here, you were not forced to stay and have a fucking palace built for your household.’ Russell was furious about some of the demands his sister made for her accommodation.

Quinn buts in, ‘Your personal income from Fabray Inc last year was one and a half million, personal not for the running of your household and not including the income for your children and the claim who betrayed us.’ Quinn makes some calculations, ‘You betrayed us to leave the clan for not even enough money to last you a year at the current rate you spend.’ 

‘You took that away from me.’ Eva riles at the Gytse.

‘I took nothing away from you that you had earned, every member of this clan must contribute to the family that is the rule and you have brought nothing to the table in a very long time.’ Quinn says as she stares the true gyste down. 

‘I ran those mines for you for years and for what?’ Eva demands.

Russell speaks this time, ‘The mines run at a fucking loss you fool.’ 

Eva looks at her brother stunned. ‘How is that possible, we make millions from them?’ Eva admits she never really got involved in the running of the mine that was worked in her name. 

‘Do you know how much Fabray Inc brought in last year?’ Russell asks his sister but knows she is clueless. ‘Four billion dollars, we are the second highest grossing clan owned business in the country.’ Russell slumps back into his chair. ‘Do you know how many people have to be fed from that income?’ Again Russell knows she is clueless, ‘Seventy thousand people, from executives to cleaners, from nurses to Guru and the family and the upkeep of millions of acres of land we have to support every single one of those people and still keep up with the Vamp clans.’ Quinn watches her father closely. 

‘But I am a Fabray!’ Eva has the sense of entitlement Quinn recognizes in herself sometimes. 

‘Yes you are and as such you have a responsibility to care and provide for your household, you!’ Russell bellows, ‘You are responsible for them, you are the one who should be going out into the world and fighting for your children to give them more but you sat back and sponged from the clan and let your claim steal, not from the company Eva he stole from your children!’ 

‘What do you mean, he worked hard!’ Eva only ever saw the good in the father to her children,

‘He was a drunk and a whore monger, he filtered money from all of you for years and he used that money on his whores!’ Russell is ranting now.

‘You dare talk to me about such things, you and your children are monsters! No better than the Vamp animal clans, you fuck anything that has a pulse!’ Quinn raises her eyes at her aunt, she is mistaken if she thinks her father will stand for much more from her.

‘Eva you will report to the Guru, I will decide what to do with you when I have had more time to think clearly!’ Russell will not bicker with her anymore. ‘Get out of my sight before I change my mind and release the monster inside.’ 

Once she leaves Quinn turns to her father, ‘She hasn’t given them the chain sir, she at least saved us that.’ 

‘I know but if they wanted it they know it exists which means we have another problem.’ Russell rubs his tired eyes, ‘Only a select number of us know about the chains, maybe a dozen at most and none from outside the main clan so how are the rebels aware such a thing exists?’ 

 

Shelby and Judi hear the door to the outer rooms slam and both of them feel Russell in the room, ‘Why don’t you go check Richard has all he needs for his studies.’ Judi pats Shelby on the knee to reassure her it is ok to leave.

‘I can stay if you need me to.’ Shelby has never faced the wrath of Russell and she is unsure what to do.

‘Seriously it is ok, he is like a bear with a sore head in these times and I have the experience to calm him, go sort Richard out.’ Judi ushers her to leave.

In the outer room, Russell faces a painting on the wall, it is so old no-one really remembers the artist but her searches the canvas for answers and for calm. 

‘Russ, what will you do with Eva?’ Judi asks because it is better to get this over and done with.

‘Do you remember the year we took Quinn and Sebastian to the summer camp?’ Russell asks.

Judi smiles, ‘I recall we had traveled maybe twenty miles when we had to turn back and retrieve them, Quinn had beaten up a Vamp boy who called Sebastian a Gaylord.’ 

‘I was so mad at them, we only wanted a few days alone and they couldn’t behave.’ Russell turns, ‘But you told me they did the wrong thing for the right reasons and they had the courage to stand up for themselves.’ 

Judi smiles, ‘I used to be so naive about them didn’t I?’ 

‘Come here.’ Russell takes her in his arms and uses her to center his thoughts, ‘I need to believe she isn’t that fucking devious and that she wouldn’t really threaten the very existence of the clan for a few gold coins’ 

‘Then do that, Quinn and the rest will follow your lead.’ Judi might have a quiet word with Eva herself though.

 

Sebastian and Leroy have spent two hours looking for anything like the shimmer Sebastian saw last night and have come up empty, Leroy has brought in the very best the Domus has to offer on this but they are all at a loss.

‘I am so  sorry about this, I know this is the spot from last night, my claim band fell just there and we found it but there is nothing large and scary here.’ Sebastian thought he might solve this all by lunch then bask in the praise of his father.

‘I have been on many witchcraft cases son and they are all the same, hard as hell to get to the bottom of.’ Leroy shakes his head.

Sebastian has a wry smile he knows the relationship Hiram has to Rachel and he is aware Quinn allows very lax protocol but calling Sebastian son isn’t a good move. ‘Sir if I may remind you I am a high-blood Gyste and only my mother and father may refer to me as a son.’ 

‘Oh, please accept my humble apologies.’ Leroy berates himself for the slip.

‘No seriously forget it, just don’t let my father hear the term, he is a good guy but some things he insists on and manners are key to a good relationship with Russell.’ Sebastian is honest in his response, he is not insulted nor does he wish to belittle the Domus.

‘Right, gotcha, keep it formal.’ Leroy smiles acknowledging his mistake and Sebastian’s grace.

‘Sir!’ A call rings out through the trees, ‘we have something.’

Leroy and Sebastian move to the caller to see for themselves what has been found. In a small clearing not far from where they stood and in a spot Sebastian is sure they checked is a body, or what is left of a body.

‘What the…’ Leroy looks to Sebastian to confirm his thoughts, ‘This wasn’t here right?’ 

‘No for sure, Sir I think we need to speak with Quinn about this.’ Sebastian senses someone moving and turns quickly, ‘there did you see?’ 

Leroy sees nothing but another in the group has, ‘Sir I saw it, well I think it is a woman, tallish and blonde perhaps but it was just a glimpse then she vanished.’ 

Leroy looks all around again, ‘I think you are right Sebastian, can we have the body moved to your medical facility?’ 

‘Yes of course, can they do that I don’t have the stomach for corpses.’ Sebastian holds his hand over his mouth the smell is coming through now.

 

Russell stretches out his neck, he must have nodded off holding his mate and he awoke with a start, ‘Judes, you awake?’ he asks in a whisper.

‘Mmm maybe.’ Judi wasn’t awake until Russell jolted himself from beside her.

‘OK I need to go deal with things, have Shelby come find me please I need to calm her about all the anger in the house it must be unsettling for her.’ Russell forgets sometimes the household is very new to his claim and he must try harder to make her feel comfortable.

‘Good idea, try to take some time with her when you can, we were just getting into a routine before the upheaval.’ Judi knows she feels the need to reconnect with Russell during times of stress and can only imagine it is the same for Shelby.

‘I will darling, now I have to settle the house.’ With one last kiss for his mate, Russell leaves the room and Judi settles back into the comfy sofa. 

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russell needs to trust Leroy like he is family but this does not come naturally to a Gyste, Quinn and her siblings show their father how strong their bond has grown much to the surprise of the Domus.

Russell and Quinn arrive at the same time to the medical room, Sebastian had called them both as soon as he and Leroy we en-route back to the house.

Marley is standing staring at the body in the exam room, she never expected this when she woke up this morning, ‘Sir Sebastian is on his way he and Leroy have stopped on the way to collect details in the archive.’ Marley reports to Russell as soon as he and Quinn step into the facility.

‘Have you looked over the body at all?’ Quinn asks.

‘Yes, just a quick once over and outwardly there is no signs of trauma to the body.’ Marley made some quick notes which she refers to. ‘I haven’t ordered any other tests I don’t know if this is being handed to the Domus.’ 

Russell looks briefly at the body, the man seems familiar but he cannot place him, ‘You were right to wait, Leroy may well take the body back to the Domus and have their people deal with it.’ 

‘We need to know if he is one of ours?’ Quinn wonders if he like the previous body is Imp.

‘I can take a DNA sample it won’t be invasive.’ Marley is keen to get back into Quinn’s good graces.

Quinn looks at Russell hoping he has a decision, ‘Do it, I will shoulder the consequences.’ Russell orders and Marley goes to quickly take a sample.

‘Go to the Guru, take all the information about last night from Eva, do not ask Quinn just take it she doesn’t deserve our sympathies.’ Russell wants answers.

Quinn leaves but is a little put out she would have liked to know more about the forest from Sebastian firsthand but she will do as her father asks. 

 

Andrea and Arron are sick of waiting, ‘Nicol go find mother.’ Arron demands again.

‘She said to be prepared to leave so it must be bad, go find her.’ Andrea echoes.

Nicol is stuck, tipping their hand would be a mistake and Quinn is already on the scent of trouble, Nicol can feel the family bond better than his siblings and knows Quinn was fucking about with their heads at breakfast. ‘Mother said to be prepared she didn’t say abandon her and run.’ 

‘We have a fortune here, we could be on the other side of the country before sundown.’ Andrea wanted to leave before breakfast but their mother insisted they not cause Russell to look for them.

‘Don’t be stupid, if we run now what will happen to mother?’ Nicol won’t leave her but the twins have different loyalties.

‘If we stay we all face punishment if we leave mother can buy us time!’ Arron is going as soon as his twin agrees.  

‘So leave her to her fate you mean?’ Nicol knows the twins are selfish but he hoped for a little loyalty.

Andrea is ready to leave too, ‘Nicol she wouldn’t want us to miss the opportunity to get away, she would want us to run now before they look for a reason to keep us.’  

‘I will go and find mother, then we decide once we know what is happening.’ Nicol says but the twins are already planning their escape from the estate. 

 

Quinn strides into the Guru with a mission but is stopped by a Guru teacher from entering Eva’s room. ‘She is in meditation, she is not to be disturbed.’ 

Quinn quickly searches the mind of the Guru for deceit but he is just following the orders of Marin, ‘Well that can wait, stand aside and let me pass.’ 

The teacher takes a moment to decide then moves, Marin says Quinn is equal to Russell and he is not taking the chance Quinn will take offense.

As the door opens Marin stands ready to take a chunk out of whoever is disturbing his session but it is Quinn and he would rather not be involved in this, ‘Miss remember no blood is to be spilled in the sacred space.’ Marin calmly reminds her and gets out of the room in a flash leaving a scared Eva to face Quinn alone.

‘Quinn I…’ Eva begins but Quinn follows her father’s orders and throws open the bond forcing Eva’s mind open, unusually Quinn can do this without the victim even being aware but this time Quinn is going to make the experience as uncomfortable as possible for her Aunt.

Nicol enters the Guru, he has never been here on the estate before, all the spiritual shit he can do without to him it is all a bunch of mumbo jumbo and superstitions. ‘I am here to speak with my mother.’ He looks for a way past the entrance foyer that actually looks like a waiting room in a high-end salon.

‘She is unavailable right now.’ The woman behind the desk seems bored.

‘Well make her available, you do know who I am right?’ Nicol tries to force the issue, name dropping works just fine usually.

‘Even if you were Russell Fabray himself you ain’t getting in there,’ the woman has a tone Nicol takes exception to and he is riled up now at her dismissal. 

‘We will see!’ Nicol decides to let himself in and forces his way through the door only to be carried back again by two large Imps, ‘Told you, you ain’t getting in.’ 

Nicol is deposited on the floor of the waiting area like a sack. 

 

Quinn closes the door to the room where she has taken all she needs from her Aunt, Marin is waiting for her, ‘Do I need to put her back together again?’ He asks the Gyste. 

‘Maybe a little but I assure you she got off lightly, stupid woman.’ Quinn has much to tell her father and they need to call the council of elders immediately. 

 

Russell and Leroy are exhausted by Sebastian’s explanation of the events, Sebastian forgets he has abilities too and Russell is noticing they are growing in strength so today the stresses are making Sebastian particularly testy.

‘Quinn is on her way from the Guru.’ Sebastian says cryptically.

Leroy looks to Russell in a questioning manner, ‘They are twins even if we forget sometimes, he is often more in tune with Quinn than the rest of us they just ignore it.’ Russell shakes his head at his son. ‘Seb, go fetch Sam will you, Quinn will want him here.’ 

‘Sir.’ Sebastian says with a flourish and leaves the room.

‘Russell if I may speak freely?’ Leroy has questions.

‘You may, and yes Sebastian was feeding on your energy, he does that when he is stressed.’ Russell may have answered Leroy’s question right there.

‘Father!’ Quinn enters the room not expecting Leroy, ‘Leroy, have you found anything?’ 

Russell speaks, ‘Marley is running tests for the Domus which we will share, she will let us know presently, what did you find out from Eva.’ 

Quinn wasn’t expecting to share this with the Domus so soon, Russell usually likes to be ahead of the game but this time sharing is necessary. ‘OK well, The text is one about mating rites so I assume they are still fixated on Sam and Santana, if she had asked I could tell her I scoured those text looking for answers and found nothing but whatever.’ 

Leroy is confused, ‘Why would the rebels care about Sam’s mating?’ 

‘That bothered me until I realized the contact Eva had for the rebels was Petra Jones-Rey, she seems to have had a hand in this all.’ Quinn plays her trump card so to speak, no-one had any idea Petra was consorting with the enemy nor did they realize she is the financial backer for this little foray into espionage. ‘My guess is as Santana’s mate Sam can demand the land rites the Jones-Rey clan want, but as her claimer, he is not entitled to that inheritance.’ Laws were passed to stop claimers from taking land and monetary gain from a claim or thrall.

‘We will need to tread carefully, Quinn cannot be exposed as the source on this.’ Russell is warning Leroy, he knows he is in a trusted position with the Fabray clan, no-one on the outside has any idea the power of Quinn’s reach. ‘We act only on evidence gathered the old fashioned way I agree.’ Leroy can work around Quinn and her abilities.

_ She knew the chain was a fake, before Petra informed her to find the chain Eva knew nothing of its existence.  _ Quinn and Russell will never reveal the power of the binding chains to the outside world.

‘So the Vamps wanted the text?’ Leroy asks.

Quinn nods, ‘I think Marcus and Petra hope to bring down Sam and take the land near the lake, the borate there must be never-ending to cause all this.’ 

The knock on the door pulls the trio from their thoughts and once called forth Sam and Sebastian enter the room.

‘Gods alive Sebastian, get a grip on yourself you are going to suck the air out of the room.’ Quinn feels the jolt in the room as soon as her twin enters with Sam.

‘Sorry, I am stressed.’ Sebastian is sweating a little too.

‘As we all are son.’ Sebastian smirks when Russell says this remembering the moment in the forest. 

‘Quinn do something will you.’ Russell fears Sebastian might actually knock Leroy out at this rate.

Quinn laughs at her brother’s aggrieved face but steps up anyway. ‘Relax a little Seb.’ Quinn takes his face in her hands and focuses on his fears and stresses. 

Leroy looks on, he has seen this trick from Quinn now a few times and everyone reacts a little differently.

‘You never want to play poker with her though.’ Sam quips to the Domus who stifles a laugh.

‘Thank you, I will attend the Guru as soon as I can.’ Sebastian accepts his sisters calming. 

Russell smiles, ‘You have a claim son, just do it the old-fashioned way.’ 

‘Yeah, why do you think I am so chill?’ Sam says as he implies he has Santana and Dave to ease his frustrations. 

Leroy catches on a little late but shares the joke eventually. ‘Do you think there is any immediate danger to your clan Russell?’ He asks, it is getting late and he has other papers to file before he gets to leave for the day.

‘No I doubt it, your people are free to continue investigating and have someone work with Marley too, we can take it from here though I know you have much to do.’ Russell is keen to have the Domus leave, he knows Quinn has more information which she is keeping until their friend leaves. 

‘Good, I will leave a small team, you can guide them, Sebastian, you have spent the most time on this so far and they actually like you believe it or not.’ Sebastian beams at this compliment, Quinn will be pleased with him. 

 

Once Leroy has cleared the building with a friendly goodbye from Russell the for Gyste regroup in Russell’s office.

‘OK, Quinn what do we know?’ Russell asks with no room for error on the clan’s part they are against the clock.

‘The Imp Sebastian found is again one of ours, he was a medic at the colonial building for six years and has medium level clearance.’ Quinn make mental notes as she runs through it all to include everything for them. ‘The binding chain is complete and returned to my rooms but in the safe now, this means to our knowledge the rebels have a fake chain and no chance of reproducing the alloy.’ 

‘But where did the knowledge of the chains come from in the first place?’ Sam asks the obvious question, he was aware there was such a thing but thought his father had the only pair not that Quinn was also in possession of them.

‘This we are in the dark about, I have searched all the record for the staff at the medical research unit and the numbers are so few Quinn could work through them in a day.’ Sebastian has worked non-stop on this since Quinn asked him to assist Leroy.

‘What is it?’ Sam spots a look between Russell and his Daughter.

‘There is a floor on the colonial building no-one has access to but Sue, she has been developing weaponry for years and it is possible this is where the leak actually came from.’ Quinn fills her brothers in.

‘So with Sue Gods know where who is monitoring the place?’ Sam asks.

‘I assumed Holly, actually, I assumed much where my sister was concerned.’ Russell is deciding how cryptic to be about the goings on at the Fabray HQ. ‘OK full disclosure, Sue has never answered to me on these things, I dealt with the money and power side of the business and the main council and your Aunt has always paid the most attention to security and the furtherment of the clan in more clandestine ways, when Quinn steps up she may make a similar decision and separate things out for ease but I hope she learns a little from my mistakes.’ Russell has no control over his sister and for years he didn’t give it a thought, she reported to him regularly enough he just didn’t care about bloodlines and secure lands the way he cared about money and the trappings of a high-blood duke. 

‘So do we know where Sue is?’ Quinn asks.

Russell shakes his head, ‘Today exactly no I have no idea if she is with Margret of in the colonial building locked away playing the mad professor.’ 

The three Fabray children are shocked, this is a grave mistake on their father’s part and could be the cause of the leaks. 

Sebastian takes stock of the latest news, ‘So may I propose, Sam and I go to the colonial building tonight and begin taking back control, in your name of course sir.’ Russell nods.

‘Father and I will travel out to the fairy circle and take Rebekah with us to look for clues involving witchcraft.’ Quinn states for the room.

‘Good, Sam you and Seb will have all the codes to all the floors and if there is anything unavailable to you use the Imp detail and break into the fucking rooms one by one.’ Russell can see the resolve of his children on this, but more than that he feels their devotion to him and not just the Fabray clan.

‘What about Eva?’ Sebastian asks, ‘Do we punish or forgive this time?’ 

Quinn looks to her father, ‘on three state your verdict, one, two, three.’ 

Russell - Forgive

Sam - Punish

Sebastian - Punish

Quinn - Forgive

It seems Quinn and Russell are looking at this in a different way to the boys. ‘What do we do Sir?’ Sam asks again.

‘OK, lock down her household, no money, no freedoms and no fucking leaving until we know more, Eva can return to the house once the Guru is happy they have broken her completely of this malice towards the rest of us and get me Burt, he needs to shoulder some of this with her for once.’ Russell makes the decision his children will work by. 

‘Good, we have our roles so all of us should touch base with our households and then feed if need be, we rest only when this is over.’ Quinn has the final words for them and they all leave to begin the fight.

 

Shelby is waiting for Russell in her quarters, she had Phillip tell him where to find her and so when he arrives she has a sad smile for her claimer. ‘Shelly darling are you ok?’ 

‘Yes Russ, I know you have been working non-stop I just needed to feel you close.’ Shelby has fallen for the Gyste and he feels the same for the brunette.

‘Shelly you know just the right moment.’ Russell moves close and pulls his claim tight to his chest. 

‘I was hoping you would say that.’ Shelby pulls him to her mouth and the kiss is deep and dirty, passion is something new and thrilling to Shelby and Russell is keen to open her eyes to all his skills. 

 

Rachel is dancing around the lounge area, she is halfway through a routine that has been made up on the hoof and is loving every moment of her free time.

‘You know you are meant to be taking things a little easy babe.’ Quinn smirks as Rachel jumps in the air, ‘Mother f..’ Rachel drops the remote she was using as a fake microphone. ‘Quinn shocking a pregnant woman is dangerous.’ 

Quinn rushes her mate and scoops her into her arms, ‘Ooh baby I love it when you are all testy!’ Quinn nuzzles the mark she made those months ago and feels the energy shared between them.

‘Quinn, I do hope you are not teasing me and then leaving before you finish.’ Rachel shivers as her mate licks a stripe up her exposed neck.

Quinn curses herself for starting this now, she should be feeding and getting back on with the job in hand but she needs this, this connection with Rachel is worth more than a feed any day.

‘Rach, I don’t have much time.’ Quinn decides to reason and explain but Rachel buts in.

‘No. no, no you don’t dare leave me hanging again!’ Rachel is instantly furious.

Quinn lifts Rachel and heads for the bedroom, ‘All I am saying is this is going to be quick but I promise you it will satisfy.’ Quinn deposits Rachel onto the bed they share and unbuttons her jeans.

‘Ok, quick is better than nothing I guess, ooh baby is all that for me?’ Rachel asks as Quinn exposes her semi to her mate. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rando turns to the Fabray clan for help which will lead him directly into conflict with his Vampire clans, Sebastian is showing signs of stress which make him a loose cannon...

Jane West watches the morning news, there is an epidemic of an unknown blood virus working its way towards the country, so far ten thousand farmed humans have contracted the condition which leaves them unable to feed their Vampirie masters. 

Jane picks up her phone and dials her first job of the day, Rando is the last call she ever wants to make but he is so far unaffected by the virus despite his family’s farms being right in the crosshairs, now Jane is one hundred percent sure Rando murdered eighty percent of his direct family so he is the last person she expects would protect his humans when no-one else has.

‘Jane how delightful to hear from you at this early hour.’ Rando’s greeting drips with sarcasm. 

‘Cut the crap Rando, either you have the cleanest farms on the face of the earth or you have developed a weapon of mass destruction that you are unleashing on the rest of the vampire clans.’ Jane throws her fury into her words, she hates Rando and all he stands for.

‘I am going with clean and well cared for for ten points Jerry.’ Rando hates this woman.

‘We will see.’ Jane puts the phone down and throws it at the wall.

 

Rando calls for a thrall, ‘Get me the head of our fucking farms on the line this instant!’ He screams at the first face to come into the room.

‘Rando is everything ok?’ Cassandra asks from the oversized bed.

Rando looks back at the woman, he knows she is trouble for sure but he has never been able to stay away from her. ‘The vamp farms have some fucking venereal disease and I am getting the blame.’ 

Cassandra rolls her eyes, ‘So make it go away.’ Cassandra cannot be bothered with all the vamp politics.

‘How do you expect I do that for fuck sake!’ Rando feels his fangs elongate.

Cassandra is unfazed, ‘Go speak with Quinn Fabray, she will make it go away if you help her with her witch problem.’ 

Rando takes a breath, he could do that for her in return for this going away. ‘How is her mate getting on with the pregnancy?’ 

Cassie smiles, ‘Now you are getting somewhere.’ Cassandra rises from the bed naked and pads to the bathroom, ‘oh is that pretty little twink still here, I feel like a live breakfast this morning.’ 

 

Jane makes her way slowly to the agreed meeting place, Jack Zool is in the shadows but he is on time.

‘Are you going to let the fucking Vamps get away with this, it is genocide.’ Jack cannot believe the Vampirie high council would be so brazen but he is sure this is a cull, it would not be the first time the vampire families have cut the human numbers to bring down their costs. 

‘You think this is an organized cull right?’ Jane wonders how the rebels ever expect to get anywhere with a zealot like Jack at the helm. ‘Are you going to tell me this is all to bring down the human numbers, the vamp clans are starving in the southern countries, these countries are too poor to purchase humans from the high council on this side of the border.’ 

Jane remembers that Jack actually comes from human wealth that he is naive to the wealth void in other countries even for vamp clans. ‘Do you want me to feel sorry for them, them starving would be a blessing!’ Jack screeches, he would love to see the clans suffer for a change.

‘Seriously, you would like to see starving Vamps roaming the streets again, you might be too young to remember but you should know your history and before the high councils and clan agreements the Vampire numbers soured and they went to war with each other feeding on anyone who stood in their way.’ Jane seethes, ‘You may not like this system but I can assure you the farms and the councils keep the major Vamp clans in line and without them the future looks a whole lot worse for us all.’ 

Jack snarls, ‘so why are you helping me to destroy this perfect system?’ 

Jane could argue the toss with him all day but she knows she isn’t going to change his mind or calm his fury, ‘Look Jack, the Vamps are in flux about the virus, I believe a clan is responsible possibly trying to gain political gain, the virus shouldn’t be fatal and the humans who have so far succumbed were already weak.’ Janer holds her hand up to quiet him, ‘I am not saying any of this is ok, I am just telling you the truth of the matter as it stands, now can we move on please!’ 

Jack has a secret, he hates women, they should be quiet and listen to their male betters but he works hard to hide his disdain when the time comes he will show this mouthy bitch her place. ‘Fine, the text I have passed to my contact and I will have answers about the mating of the Fabray clan.’ Jack handed the text to Petra personally, ‘The chain has been taken to test but getting our hand on a willing blood gyste may be hard.’ Jack hadn’t factored testing the chain on a live Gyste.

‘So the chain has no outward effects other than the rumors on any clan other than the Blood-Gyste?’ Jane can see the issue herself.

‘Perhaps I will try it on the Hornets I have located, they are the closest cousins from what I understand.’ Jack wants to use it on Quinn Fabray or against her but he can be patient.

Jane’s phone interrupts them and she answers because to ignore the Domus would be a mistake. She holds her finger to her mouth to indicate Jack’s silence. 

‘Leroy?’ She answers as she always does calming her heart.

_ ‘The Vamp clans are all at the chambers calling for answers, what do you have?’  _

Jane rolls her eyes, ‘Nothing more than any other Domus in the country.’ Jane is beginning to hate Leroy.

_ ‘That may well be true but I want answers and I am not any old Domus I am your Domus so get back here now and sort this mess.’  _  Leroy hangs up the call.

‘Your boss sounds mad as hell.’ Jack smirks.

‘He is and that means you get to deal with things alone until I have settled him down again, so find a way to confirm that chain and get your contact to show me how to challenge the Fabray family at the council.’ Jane returns his fake smile, ‘And do this alone because I have to find a way to rescue the Vamp clans from disease and the farmed humans from execution.’ 

Jane storms towards her car without another word to Jack Zool. 

 

Quinn stares into the fairy circle, she has never seen one this close before and can feel something like energy and aura coming from the clearing but she is unable to focus.

‘It is moving isn’t it.’ Russell says, he is watching Rebekah pace around the clearing with divining rods and is keeping an eye out for shadows.

‘Everything is in flux, Rebekah what have you found?’ Quinn has never seen the sticks Rebekah chose before, actually, Quinn is in the dark completely today.

Rebekah comes to stand closer to the nervous Gyste, ‘This is not good ma’am, the circle is active for sure and the energies are as you say moving so that indicates there is someone or something on the other side.’ 

‘The other side of what?’ Russell asks, Phillip is on his way he can feel the Eunuch approaching.

‘The other side.’ Rebekah repeats, ‘The other realm, the dark side so to speak.’ Rebekah explains like she is talking about the most obvious thing in the world and Quinn smiles as her father hates being talked down to.

‘So this other side, that is where the witches live?’ Russell asks, he is getting a headache now. 

‘Not exactly but simplified yes that is a good way to understand it, the circle is used to channel the energy of witchcraft, the land is chosen for its natural ley line power.’ Quinn can hear the excitement in her chattel’s voice. 

Russell takes a moment, many years ago Judi suggested they take a witch in to learn from her but he had refused, he couldn’t see the value but Quinn is proving knowledge is a strength. ‘Are we any closer to knowing who is using the site?’ He asks.

‘I believe I have a way of finding out, every coven leaves a particular signature in the runes they use, they follow black books which usually give them away.’ Rebekah enthuses, ‘The Domus have a list of these books with common signatures.’ 

Quinn sighs, they will have to share what they know to get hold of the signatures and Russell shares her fears, ‘Is there any way we can find the signatures without going through the Domus.’ The head of the clan asks.

‘Sire?’ Rebekah quirks her brow, ‘Are you asking me to lie to the Domus?’ 

‘We want to be ahead of the Domus to protect the clan.’ Quinn says.

Rebekah breaks out into a giant smile, ‘So if I have a copy of all the signatures hidden in my quarters you wouldn’t be angry at me?’ 

Russell smiles, ‘If you have these items I will personally reward you with that new car you were looking at with Mike on Monday, I would have it delivered to you in the morning!’ Russell laughs.

‘May I have it in black sir?’ Rebekah cheekily asks.

‘With red leather?’ Russell remembers the sports car he saw Mike and Rebekah cooing over.

‘I took a number of things from the Domus, I have a thirst for knowledge ma’am, I don’t need a reward though sir for helping my clan.’ Rebekah shows her submission to the Gyste.

‘Your loyalty is already noticed my dear, the car is a small token.’ Russell smiles, Rebekah is loyal to Quinn and that is all he needs. 

 

Back at the main house Rachel and her mother are waving goodbye to Richard, despite Rachel’s reluctance he is off to join the seminary and learn the rituals of the Eunuch, it is a great honor for a human to be accepted and he knows Russell had a hand in his acceptance. 

‘He will thrive, Mama, he is smart.’ Rachel offers a comforting arm to her mother.

Shelby wipes away a tear, she has watched all of her children leave her and it is only luck she was reunited with her daughter. ‘I know honey, it is just an end to it all you know.’

‘I know Mama but you will have grandbabies to fuss over soon, well once they are tamed and won’t try to bite you.’ Rachel and Shelby both laugh. 

Judi stands in the foyer, ‘Has he left?’ She asks her friend, the sad face from Shelby confirms Richard had begun his next chapter. ‘Right so as the mother of Gyste, I will never know what it is like to have to say goodbye, they never leave the nest.’ Judi smirks, ‘This is, however, a new beginning for you as a woman Shelly and Rachel and I have a trick or two we are gonna share with you.’ 

Shelby looks quizzically between the two other women, ‘Tricks?’ She asks.

‘Tricks, life need not pass us by and we do not need to age with good grace, we will grow old fabulous.’ Judi takes Shelby’s arm and leads the bemused woman towards her secret room. 

 

When Russell and Quinn finally take a moment to sit down they look jaded, the witch problem is never ending and they are both so very tired of being attacked but both resolves to carry on for the good of the clan.

Phillip comes back into the room with drinks for the pair, ‘Sir your sons have just returned, do you want to have them wait while you have a moment?’ Phillip is very intuned with his master and he can feel the fatigue flowing through Russell.

‘No, this cannot wait, send them to me straight away.’ Russell and Quinn have news and they want to hear what Sebastian and Sam have found.

‘Dad, they will have done their best, please try to remember that.’ Quinn tries to prepare her father for what is to come.

‘Quinnie, Sam will have broken down the doors to every room and I am pretty sure Sebastian can sniff out trouble from a mile away so they may not have found the key to this but they have something I know they have, I can feel it in my bones.’  Russell finishes his drink and looks up as Sam comes through the door followed by his brother who has a box obviously with papers from the main offices of Fabray Inc. 

‘This probably won’t come as a surprise to you but that place is locked down pretty tight.’ Sam tells his father and sister. 

‘We do have some new information though,’ Sebastian places the box of files on his father’s desk. 

‘Sir.’ Phillip has a telephone in his hand. ‘Margret for you.’ 

Russell stands he had left a message for his sister at the home of her first claim and children four days ago, he had not told his children yet his concerns.

Russell takes the handset and is gruff. ‘Maggie, what does the head of a clan have to do to get a call returned these days?’ 

Quinn is shocked at her father he usually has the utmost respect for Sue’s household.  _ ‘Russell you know this is a technological black spot, my family does not live with such modern trappings, I returned the call as soon as I had a chance, my father has our homestead on lockdown.’  _

Russell only vaguely remembers Margret’s father and family, he knows the claim was a political move on his father’s part, Margret is an Imp and was always free in the eyes of the Fabray clan.

‘What is going on?’ Russell will have Magret returned to the estate it is his right.

_ ‘Sue had a massive argument with my father a couple of weeks ago over a Vamp clan that have just bought land from him, she swore she would return with… and I quote, a fucking Gyste army to burn your shitty life to the ground.’  _ Margret waits for the explosion.

‘Tell me you have seen or heard from her since!’ Russell bellows and his children all flinch. 

_ ‘Nothing and father has been even more paranoid than usual, I had to walk three hours to find this fucking satellite phone Sue hid in a tree!’  _ Russell can image the indignation of the Imp climbing a tree for a phone like a ninja.

‘Hold on, where are the cheerios?’ Russell knows Sue uses them for all sorts and their number one task is usually to protect their mother at all costs. 

Margret takes a deep breath,  _ ‘She took them with her, I have heard nothing from any of them since she left.’  _

Russell cannot imagine the agony this is causing Margret, ‘OK, I am sending someone to you, do you want to leave there?’ Russell asks.

_ ‘Yes, get me out of this madhouse.’  _ Margret says in a hushed voice,  _ ‘I will get out and call you again when I am away from the homestead, Sue left nothing here that I am aware of.’  _

‘Call me the moment you are clear, there will be someone to collect you once you make contact.’ Russell is now worried, he hands the phone back to Phillip.

‘Where is she?’ Quinn asks, she doesn’t need her gifts to know her father is in turmoil.

‘I don’t know, like you she is skilled at masking herself from the bond but I am sure she wouldn’t hide if she was in trouble so that only leaves her making trouble!’ The siblings look at each other, Sam and Sebastian know the trouble their Aunt can cause given the information they found at the Colonial building. 

‘Sir we discovered some items and files that might cause you to worry, even more, it would seem Aunty was planning for the apocalypse.’ Sebastian says.

‘Show us, I am afraid we faired no better in the woods.’ Russell says.

 

Rando is about to throw a fit again, he has checked and double checked all his holdings and Jane was correct, none of his lands have been affected by this virus. ‘They are setting me up!’ He screams into the empty room.

He makes a few more notes then bites the bullet, the last person he wants to bother is Quinn but Cassandra was correct she is in control of the most powerful private army in the lands and right now he needs his ass covered.

‘Quinn?’ Rando is hushed in his tone despite his previous outburst.

Quinn takes a deep breath and rises from the seat, ‘Rando, this isn’t the best time so is it important?’ She asks.

‘I would not trouble you if it wasn’t, do I have your permission to attend your home, this needs to be a very private matter.’ Rando sounds disheartened and this gets Quinn’s attention.

‘I will escort you to the lake house, the main estate wouldn’t be very welcoming at this time.’ Quinn doesn’t want him anywhere near Shelby or the Eunuch in case he tries to use his thrall. 

‘I understand, thank you, Quinn.’ Rando hates this feeling of helplessness.

 

When Quinn hangs up Sebastian shivers, ‘What is going on?’ He asks his twin.

‘Rando needs my help with something, this is the last thing I need but he might be useful when it comes to locking down a culprit if this is anything to do with the Jones-Rey clan we need a powerful Vamp ally.’ Quinn gathers herself then makes her excuses and leaves.

‘Why did you shiver Seb?’ Sam asks.

‘Quinn is more powerful than even we realize brother and sometimes the twin thing is overwhelming.’ Sebastian is honest, he is feeling so much from Quinn lately he is struggling.

Russell listens intently, is it possible that Quinn can take both her brother’s into ascension. ‘Keep up with feeding and touch base with the Guru son, Quinn isn’t always aware of her gifts herself.’ 

‘I will sir.’ Sebastian is really unsettled now, ‘I might just take a moment sir, I need some air. 

Russell nods, he knows something is happening with the pair but cannot work it out. 

 

Quinn has Dilas bring Rando to the lake house when he arrives, he is subdued which bothers her. ‘You look like shit.’ She tells him.

Rando laughs, ‘Thank you, I am overdue a meal I will be honest, today has been a nightmare and I have had no time to stop.’ Rando has also been experimenting with his feeding and this doesn’t help.

Quinn also notices unlike other times Rando is making no attempt to use his thrall on her, Dilas communicated the same when he brought Rando across the Fabray grounds.

‘Tell me what is so important you would call on me in the middle of the night?’ Quinn realizes it has been hours since she spoke with her mate.

‘I know you have your own troubles to deal with so you might not have heard but there is a virus ravaging the southern countries and it has broken ground in our southern states in the last few hours, humans are infecting each other at a rate of knots and there is no way at present to slow its progress.’ Rando lays it out for the Gyste.

‘I admit I am out of the loop, we have a situation on the estate and I haven’t even looked up today, my Eunuch would not bother me unless our chattels were being affected.’ Quinn takes note of what he says though. 

‘Well you must be aware that I as head of the clan now have the charge of many lands in the south, most is barren and useless other than for some mining and we have no full-time farms that far south.’ Quinn did know this, there is very little she does not know about the more powerful Vamp clans and their business but she is about to be surprised. ‘So far only my lands and humans remain unaffected, none of them are ill and some are neighbors to outbreaks.’ Rando sits this time, he is exhausted suddenly.

Quinn watches him closely then opens the family bond to search for her twin,  _ Sebastian, stop it you will kill him and believe me we do not need the head of a vamp clan dead whilst he is a guest here. _

Sebastian takes a step back from where he was hiding,  _ Sorry sister mine, I meant no harm. _

Quinn smirks, there was a time she would have never believed him,  _ I know, please trust me Seb, I am in complete control here, go back to the house. _

Sebastian does as she asks reluctantly, he feels the need to protect his sister more strongly than ever before. 

‘Rando do you need my help?’ Quinn asks the stricken Vampire.

Rando might throw up, he is starving now and his eyes are beginning to change without him being able to stop them. ‘I have a thrall in the car, I know this is rude but I need something.’ 

‘Of course, I will send someone for them.’  Quinn steps outside where Dilas is waiting patiently. ‘Dilly go fetch the thrall for Rando and make it quick, he is going to go into a rage at this rate.’ 

Dilas leaves in a dash, ‘They will be here presently.’ 

Quinn is met with the Red eyes of the Vamp and her Gyste rises to meet the challenge but Rando throws himself to the floor in submission.

‘Please Quinn, don’t let my thrall see me this way.’ He begs.

Quinn retreats from the room leaving Rando to wait alone, the Vamp is almost out of control and she knows he is on the edge.

‘Father?’ Quinn calls her father in his study.

‘Quinnie? Are you ok?’ Russell wasn’t expecting her to call.

‘I know this is a long shot but do we have any way of getting a feed to Rando, I don’t want him killing the thrall he has with him.’ Quinn is panicking a little, she cannot think how to make this situation better quickly.

‘I can have someone sent but it will take a little time, what is happening?’ Sam looks to his father recognizing the strain in his tone.

‘It might be too late, have Remus come to the lake house with a dart, I will knock him out if need be.’ Quinn hopes she doesn’t need the nuclear option.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn and Rando share a moment which may well change the course of things to come for all Vamp clans...

Marcus Jones-Rey slumps back from his mate, ‘We are good at that.’ He compliments himself.

‘We need an heir for the future, don’t think it will be a regular thing as soon as we have the child we need we can go back to how things were.’ Petra has no intention of ending up with a low-blood like Marcus or she might use one of her thralls or other lovers for a child.

Marcus just shakes himself off and heads for the bathroom in the suite, he is muttering about his mate again just like he has done almost all his life in regards to his mother. 

Petra is drawn back to the text Jack passed on to her, she has scoured it with little luck so far. She tries again in a section that defines the rights of Blood mates, Santana has risen in status from a lowly Imp to a full-blown Gyste in the eyes of the council and also the Gyste lore. 

Marcus returns from the bathroom, he won’t stay in her suite tonight and actually is debating going out and meeting with friends, ‘Do you want me to come to the blessing with you on Sunday?’ He asks knowing the answer.

‘No, how would it look to have a half-blood there.’ Marcus rolls his eyes as Petra dismisses him.

Once Marcus has left Petra collects up her phone and calls a contact, ‘I need your help again, most of this text is in the language of the ancients and I had no need to learn previously.’ Petra and her siblings spent no time in lessons growing up, they only bothered with backstabbing and devious dealings.

‘Meet me first thing, I have no time know there is too much going on over here.’ The line goes dead and Petra stares at her phone when the time comes she will rid herself of all those who have failed her.

 

Jane West sits in her apartment staring out of the window, she has spent the whole day dealing with the fallout from the mystery virus that is working its way north.

Rando Af-Mason is her main suspect but he hasn’t so far behaved like he is guilty, Vamps are loud and angry when they are trying to prove their innocence and Rando has made no approaches to the council or the Domus to plead his case and this leaves Jane confused.

She looks back through all the targets again so far, the algorithms have been run and there is nothing in the results that link them to each other or one clan that leads the Domus to believe one group is responsible. 

The virus is risking the lives of humans and no known human rebel group would do that, Vampirie clans have strong ties to each other and bonds through families which have been bred over the generations so why attack all the southern clans at once there are too many families to be hurt. 

The only real clans left are the high-blood Imp clans but they have never actively attacked the Vamps in all of history, the Imp clans are weak in power and have nothing to gain by destroying the vamps whom they rely on for position in the high-councils. 

The symbiotic nature of all these relationships leads Jane and the others in the Domus stumped, Jane refers back to another email received by Leroy late last night regarding the Fabray estate.

 

_ Leroy,  _

_ Thanks for all your help today and in general, I have attached all the information we have so far on the Imp discovered yesterday. As you will see unfortunately this Imp is again an employee of ours at Fabray Inc. At this moment I have no idea what is going on, we have locked down the estate for now and drawn family members back to protect them. _

 

_ I need some direction on this Leroy, my children are on the edge with their tempers and they will not hesitate to take lethal force if their households are threatened in any way. Please do not mistake this as a threat to you or the office you hold, you have a special place in this clan and the bond Rachel shares with you means I have a trust in your office I have never had previously and because of this I am pleading with you to find something, anything that will bring this to an early conclusion. _

 

_ Yours with friendship. _

 

_ Russell Fabray  _

 

Jane rereads the email, according to the records the Fabray family discovered a dormant fairy circle on their land after one of their employees died in an unrelated accident nearby, Leroy has submitted a report which states the family are co-operating with the Domus and that the head of the family has agreed to allow the Domus to neutralise the site once a full investigation is completed. 

Jane cannot work out what is happening, the Fabray family are powerful but the link between Leroy and a farmed human mated to Quinn Fabray should not hold the Domus in favor, Jane racks her brain searching for anything that can explain this but she is coming up blank and she will never be able to covertly investigate the life of a sitting Domus without being found out. 

The timer on her oven goes off and for now, she will take a moment and eat because she isn’t getting anywhere tonight.

 

Rando is recovering after his second feed, Quinn is in the room and looks bored.

‘Sorry about that, I was foolish.’ Rando offers as an explanation.

Quinn looks up, ‘Foolish?’ She questions.

‘Yeah, I have been trying to find a new way of feeding, I have been experimenting with donated blood but it isn’t as potent as the free-flowing stuff straight from the vein of a human.’ He takes a drink of water, he feels alive again.

‘Why would you do that?’ Quinn puzzles.

Rando sits up a little straighter, ‘If I told you I had an epiphany you probably wouldn’t believe me but I guess something like that happened.’ 

Quinn searches his mind for the truth and he is being truthful, ‘Are you telling me you have developed some kind of conscience?’ Quinn has never heard something so stupid before.

‘The clans have held the human race captive since the great wars, the punishment for centuries of conflict is a high one to pay for them...’ Rando pauses as he searches for the right term. ‘Perhaps I think the time has come to accept the strengths of humans and not just exploit the weaknesses.’

‘You said you wanted to reform your clan but you cannot do it alone?’ Quinn is stunned.

‘No, alone I would have been isolated even within my clan.’ Rando hangs his head, ‘I met a woman last year at a concert, a good friend introduced us and we hit it off’ 

‘What and you didn’t just take her as a thrall?’ Quinn scoffs at the idea.

‘My friend forbade it and I have enough respect for her to do as she asks, anyway I spent time with a free human for perhaps the first time ever and I liked it.’ Rando is being honest, he had his heart stolen by a human. He promised her anything to be with him but nothing convinced her to trust the Vamp so he has been taking extreme measures to prove he is different.

‘Did you kill your Uncle to take the family name?’ While he is open like this Quinn takes advantage.

‘Yes, did your father really kill his father?’ Rando hits back.

Quinn smiles, ‘We have complicated families and clans that is true but you came here for something.’ Quinn gets back to the original reason Rando visited.

‘I need protection.’ Rando states.

Quinn takes a moment, ‘From whom?’ 

‘The other Vamp clans on the high council, Jane West is already on my tail about all this and it won’t be long before the Vampirie figure out I am unaffected by this virus.’ Rando knows his clan is stronger than many but he is also weakened by numbers, he has maybe five high council members in the whole country to call on which is small in comparison to the Jones-Rey clans for instance. 

‘We cannot be seen to interfere in Vamp matters but bring me a sample of the virus and I will have an answer for you, I will also move some of the Imp armies closer to your lands under the guise of protecting my interests, I hope not to have to use them but you have my word I will do my best to hold back any attack on you.’ Quinn can see he is truthful, she can also see he is desperate and this is not a good mix for Vamp politics.

‘You have my gratitude and I have something for you in return.’ Rando hands Quinn a folder. ‘Inside is a spell, I know you do not like witchcraft and I have never practiced myself but my mother dabbled and so I know this one works.’ 

‘What would it do if I did use it?’ Quinn is curious, she has Rebekah who can decipher these things.

‘It opens the gates between worlds, I have seen it used when I was a child and I assure you it will solve your problem in the forest.’ Rando has spies just like Quinn and while the Fabray family have been distracted these spies have been busy.

‘Can I ask, did Petra come to you about my clan recently?’ Quinn asks.

‘No nothing, she is obsessed with Santana and Sam I have heard them discussing it.’ Rando hates Marcus since they were both young so throwing him and his mate under the bus means nothing to Rando.

‘Good, that means she doesn’t trust you which tells me I can trust you.’ Quinn smiles and they both laugh. 

‘May I inquire as to the health of your mate?’ Rando heard so much about the little diva with the big voice from Cassandra. 

‘So far so good, I am the wreck between the pair of us.’ Quinn quips.

‘Good to hear she is doing well, I look forward to children but as you know it is a political thing more than anything for us Vamps.’ Rando is lost in thought and reveals something to Quinn without thinking. ‘I mean I have two surrogates from the same stock as your mate but I doubt I will get the chance to use them.’ 

Quinn quirks her brow at this, ‘Children of Shelby? What good are humans to you surely they would be seen as low-blood.’ 

Rando realizes his mistake but he cannot afford to lose the ground he has made with Quinn on a lie, ‘Again this is Vamp politics, having a pure bloodline is important for an heir but for power within a clan any blood child of mine will give me a position.’ Rando remembers the other question. ‘I believe the surrogates I have are both older than your mate, they are together in the country estate.’ 

‘So are they enthralled?’ Quinn asks.

Rando laughs without thinking then sobers up, ‘No, of course not, they both have free will, we do not enthrall our surrogates before the birth of a child and as I said to you I am looking to modernise my clan so I will not enthrall them if they bare children for me at all.’ Rando still lives the life of a high-blood vamp he has rights that are cruel and unjust, he treats most people with contempt because he can but one day he might just change the Vampirie world.

‘Sorry I didn’t mean to pry after all Rachel was brought here to bare me children and little else.’ Quinn is saddened to think about the children Shelby has lost and the lives they must now suffer. 

 

Rachel is sleeping when Quinn finally makes it to their chambers, Russell has insisted the siblings go and rest and feed in the case of Sebastian who is still burning through food at a high rate. 

Quinn silently strips off her clothes leaving them scattered in piles, Rachel or Dilas will deal with that for her in the morning, climbing into bed she relaxes completely in the presence of her mate.

Rachel stirs only for a moment as Quinn brings her body tight into the Gyste, as she sleeps she smiles knowing her mate is here now.

Quinn lays holding her love stroking the stomach where her babies are growing absentmindedly then she feels it, in the bond she feels the thrump thrump of tiny heartbeats, two of them of course in sync with each other though they must be barely the size of a ping-pong ball but they are definitely Blood-Gyste Quinn can feel it. 

Many things go through Quinn’s mind, Rachel is peaceful now but if the stories are to be believed in the end she will be restless and only soothed by her mate who will also need to feed the Gyste during the pregnancy. Russell told how during her mothers' pregnancy he needed to feed Judi almost like a Vamp to keep Quinn and her brother Sebastian sated, Quinn still has a smile though because despite it all she will have babies to love and Rachel will be fine. 


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn focuses on her mate and keeping Rachel satisfied is a win win for both of them, Russell is shocked by an unexpected death in the family...

Breakfast on the estate is fragmented to say the least, Burt is spending most of his time with his lady friend and of course, Kurt is living his own life in Europe. Eva is confined with her clan to their quarters and under guard until Russell can make a decision on their future. Quinn and Rachel are together in their rooms as Rachel is not feeling like much to eat today, Russell thinks the humans call it morning illness or something. Sebastian and Elliott are at the guru having some councilling to help them develop a strong claim bond which leaves just Sam, Santana, and Dave joining Russell and his household.

‘Santana, will you and Sam be trying for babies any time soon?’ Judi is hungry for more grandbabies even before Quinn’s are born.

Sam coughs and splutters his coffee down his front, Dave smiles at the face on Santana and waits for her to answer without insulting the matriarch of the family.

‘We will get there before the others are too old Judi, of course, for now, I am still learning the Incubi ways so I am maybe not prepared to mother a child.’ 

Russell smiles, Santana may be learning more about tact than he thought.

‘Shame, it would be so nice to have a real brood filling the house.’ Judi muses.

‘In time darling.’ Russell steps in to help his son out, ‘Will you be leaving the estate today?’ Russell asks his mate and claim.

‘We have a guild meeting this morning and then planned for an afternoon at the club, do you need us for anything?’ Judi would hate to change her plans.

‘No but please stay away from the outer reaches near the forest, let’s not have any more mishaps.’ Russell is keeping the whole area closed off until they figure more out about the damned fairy circles and discover how the Imps keep turning up dead. 

‘That’s not a problem, I doubt Shelby fancies another trip into the unknown.’ Judi and Shelby have discussed what happened at length and Judi is sure her friend is terrified from the experience.

‘Can I tag along to the guild meeting, I know I am not a member but I should become better acquainted with the process.’ Santana also needs time away from the house she is going stir crazy with all the baby talk from Rachel.

‘Of course, I will be glad to sponsor you.’ Judi smiles at the thought of Santana becoming more involved.

‘Samuel can you make sure Sebastian is with us by ten please, we still have a whole bunch of papers to get through.’ Russell is keen to crack on even if it is a fools' errand.

‘Certainly, can you have the Eunuch help Dave today, the outer walls are being fitted with the new cameras and Dave cannot be everywhere at once.’ Sam had hoped Santana would help his claim but he knows she needs time away to clear her head. 

‘Sure, get Phillip to sort it Dave.’ Russell wishes Sam took the lead more, he can do these things himself but he seems to be slipping back into old ways and that doesn’t make for a strong hand for his sister.

 

Quinn finishes her shower and pads through to the bedroom where Rachel is eating her breakfast, Quinn is glad they have some alone time before she leaves possibly for the whole day.

‘Look at this, in the last few months seven southern clans have reported unusual deaths on their land.’ Rachel is scouring the internet looking for clues.

‘Unusual how?’ Quinn asks as she shakes out her hair, she needs a day at the salon if only she had the time. 

‘Three instances of bloodlust, One of claim poisoning, one a heart attack and another through..’ Rachel pauses as she tries to understand, ‘victim choice?’ 

‘How is a heart attack unusual?’ Quinn ignores the confused look of her mate.

‘Oh wait there is another article.’ Rachel scours the page for clues. ‘Vamp had the heart attack.’ 

Both Quinn and Rachel look baffled now, Vamps never die like that. ‘What was the clan does it say? Quinn will have some more research done on the clan. 

‘It says Lopez, does that have anything to do with Santana?’ Rachel is intrigued.

‘Er no idea, where was it exactly Santana’s mother was from Puerto Rico originally.’ Quinn thinks it must be a common name.

‘No not there Mexico, I thought there were no Vampire clans in Mexico since the purge.’ Rachel refers to a time when the humans were forced from their lands and either taken into farms or pushed south where the heat wasn’t an issue for them. 

‘Officially no but there were a few who had become accustomed to the heat so refused to leave their ancestral homes.’ Quinn cannot remember one of them being Lopez though. 

‘What is victim choice?’ Rachel has never come across the term before.

‘It is Vamp code for murdered by your owner, usually if an owned human dies at the hands of a Vamp this is the term used, the Domus still deal with it as murder though.’ Quinn won’t tell Rachel the Vamp clans rarely report such a death which in itself could make this death unusual.  

‘Does it say who was involved in the bloodlust?’ Quinn knows Vamps are well known for frenzy feeding too though again this is unusual only because it is reported.

‘Mailerson?’ Rachel has no more information.

Quinn frowns, ‘What all of the cases were one clan?’ This sounds like a rogue vamp to her and hopefully, it has been dealt with.

‘Erm yes… wait here is… oh shit!’ Rachel tries to read the passage again thinking she is wrong.

‘What?’ Quinn moves to her Mate’s side, ‘Rach what is it?’ 

‘Look, it is a Gyste clan.’ Quinn takes the tablet from the pregnant woman and searches the article for answers.

‘One clan and all their adolescent children in the course of a month, what the fuck…’ Quinn needs answers to this quickly, why has she not been told of this, her father sits on the high-blood council surely he is aware.

‘Language baby, I don’t want these little monsters becoming brats in the womb.’ Rachel rubs her stomach absentmindedly.

‘Sorry, DILAS!!’ Quinn shouts out.

‘Quinn!, please go shout somewhere else.’ Rachel moves to the bathroom muttering about training her mate with better manners.

As the door to the bathroom closes the main door is thrown open and a flustered Dilas comes barrelling in looking around as he enters. ‘Ma’am? Is it the babies, where is Miss Rachel.’ Dilas heads for the bathroom in a panic.

‘Dilas!’ Quinn stops him, shaking her head at the state he is in. ‘Rachel is fine, as am I thank you for asking.’ Quinn sarcastically says.

‘Sorry, sorry, I thought…’ Dilas takes some breaths.

‘Look I need a list of Gyste families in the south.’ Quinn has never heard the name Mailerson mentioned before and none of them attended the Guru when she was there. 

‘Yes Ma’am.’ Dilas moves to leave but Quinn needs to center the Eunuch.

‘Dilly wait, come here.’ Quinn moves closer and they meet at the foot of the bed. ‘She is going to be OK, we have twins coming and I am certain they are Blood children too but Dilas you have my word she will be OK.’ Quinn takes his head in her hands as she does and shows him her truth, ‘You need to worry less my friend, we’ve got this OK?’ 

Dilas has a tear in his eye, ‘I thought something had happened to our girl.’ Dilas is completely informal with his Mistress and Quinn can only smile, the bond between Rachel and Dilas is stronger than ever and this means he will be on hand when Quinn cannot be.

‘Dilly arrange for another Eunuch to attend me, one you trust to run errands for me, I am not replacing you.’ Quinn still holds him in place. ‘You stay with Rachel from now on, be with her and you will see she is OK, I still need you for important things but I can do with someone else for the daily duties, you keep our girl happy.’ Quinn passes her calm to the Eunuch through the bond then feels something from him she didn’t expect.

‘Dilly, give me your arm.’ Dilas complies without question. ‘Let’s reaffirm our bond and keep you strong.’ 

Quinn lets the Gyste come forth and bares her tusks top and bottom, she tries to be gentle but the Eunuch still flinches at the sharp pain as Quinn shares with him again as she did before the Mating. Closing the wound Quinn looks up to see the goofy look in Dilas’ eyes and smiles a grateful smile to her ward. 

 

‘There, you should calm now, you will feel Rachel a little more and this should help.’ Quinn wants Dilas to see Rachel is OK.

He takes a calming breath and then focuses in on Rachel in the bathroom but he can only feel one thing. ‘OK Dilly off you go, sorry about that.’ 

Quinn curses her mate for her timing but smirks, if Rachel is that horny Quinn needs to offer her help.

 

Russell, Sam, Phillip, and Sebastian are in the archive searching through the files the boys brought from the head offices of Fabray Inc.

‘Where is Quinn anyway?’ Sam asks, he needs Santana to help still with some reading but he has improved.

‘Fucking.’ Sebastian says without looking up and Phillip hides his smile in the papers he is reading.

Russell stares at his son, the aura coming from the boy is blinding but Sebastian promised he fed again this morning and the Guru called to praise the young Gyste for his commitment to the meditation this morning so Russell is at a loss.

‘Seb, are you OK?’ Russell asks his son hoping for some answer that makes sense. 

‘Father?’ Sebastian places the report on the desk before him.

‘Your aura is bright as fuck.’ Sam explains, the buzzing noise is back too.

Sebastian looks around the room as if trying to see his own aura then to his brother and father who are both similar in color. ‘I still feel a little hyped up if I am honest.’ Sebastian struggled this morning to control the feeding and had Remus watch him with a dart.

Russell is confused too, ‘Sue used to look into these anomalies for me.’ He says worrying again about his sister's whereabouts. ‘Do you feel better with Elliott around?’ Russell wonders if the Claim has a holdover Sebastian.

‘No just when Quinn is near.’ Sebastian is avoiding Elliott a little for fear of losing control, ‘Oh and Rachel, she calms me.’ 

Sam shakes his head, ‘If you have a crush on Quinn’s mate beware, our sister can melt your brain!’ 

Russell frowns at this idea, Sam and Sebastian are very different people and Sam is reverting to his previous childish behavior lately. ‘Stop that, Quinn isn’t melting anyone’s brain!’

Phillip smirks again, Quinn just might melt Sebastian’s brain if she thinks he is lusting after the little Diva.

 

‘More like that, fuck Quinn you fucking…’ Rachel is struggling against the cold tile in the shower and Quinn is buried deep in her pussy.

‘Now now, language baby.’ Quinn teases and slows her pace again.

‘Don’t you…’ Rachel groans.

Quinn has Rachel tight against the wall almost off her feet, her left hand teasing the woman’s clit and her right arm supporting her mate and teasing her breasts at the same time, Rachel has no control over any of this as Quinn uses all her strength to assert her dominance in the position.

The Gyste pushes hard into the Diva almost trying to force her balls in as well and stops all movement.

‘No Quinn, no stop no!’ Rachel wails in frustration.

‘Listen to me Rach, stop struggling and be a good girl, I am in control here so give in and let me have you!’ Quinn growls a warning to her mate, the pregnancy makes Rachel crazy in lust but for Quinn, the need to dominate is coming in waves.

Rachel relaxes her body as much as she can, desperately trying to give Quinn what she wants but Rachel is so desperate for release it is almost impossible not to move so she tries tightening her hold on Quinn’s cock with her cunt walls.

‘No!’ Quinn is angered by this disobedience from her mate and rips herself free of Rachel much to the fury of her mate, she drags Rachel from the shower and takes them dripping from the shower to the bed and throws the little Diva on the bed stalking over her.

Rachel is shocked at the turn of events and when she looks up she is faced with the blazing golden eyes of her mate, she salivates at the sight becoming even more desperate for Quinn to take her. ‘Quinn baby, fuck me now!’ Rachel demands.

Quinn lets her teeth pop forward and flips Rachel over much to the delight of the wanton human, once Quinn has her in a position she parts Rachel’s ass cheeks and spits towards the pucker of her mate. The sensation is torturous to Rachel as she feels dirty and slutty and so very happy Quinn is losing control of her lust she can feel it. 

The Gyste is on the edge a million filthy thoughts flash before her at once and she moves in to begin her assault on her Mate’s senses. Quinn pushes her tongue without warning into Rachel’s ass, rimming her and moaning out as she does. Rachel writhes and screams at the sensation, feeling the strong ripple as Quinn flicks back and forth as she pushes deeper into her mate’s ass all the time grinding her dick into the bed.

Next Quinn moves herself away from Rachel’s ass and the woman lets out a cry of grief at the loss but Quinn doesn’t leave her mate for long, Quinn has her knees on the outside of Rachel’s thighs and with little resistance plunges back into the white-hot heat or her dripping pussy grunting at the perceived effort and begins a furious pace to give some release to them both.

‘YESSSSS!’ Rachel calls out alerting most of the estate with her volume but neither of them cares.

Quinn leans back fucking the diva with strong and sure strokes watching Rachel’s cream coat her cock with each stroke, next Quinn again focuses on Rachel’s little rosebud hole and without warning begins opening her up with first one then two fingers, twisting and turning using the girl cum from her mate as lube.

Rachel can feel so much all at once, she is in rapture as Quinn uses her body and brings them both to the edge again, pleading won’t help her she knows that now and a certain calm comes over her as she completely gives overall control to her powerful Gyste mate.

Quinn keeps two fingers pushed deep into Rachel’s ass and pounds away at her cunt, she leans in and nips Rachel’s ear to get her attention, ‘I could open the bond and finish this quickly for you.’ Rachel growls at the thought, caught between the certain release and ending this sweet torture too soon. ‘I can do this for hours Rach, bring you close then take it all away forcing you to scream over and over for this to end.’ Rachel sobs a little at the thought of being trapped like this much longer, caught between release and pleasure is utter agony for her. ‘I can do whatever I want with you, I think I am going to fuck your slutty ass for a while, split you in half with my big dick force you to plead for me to stop and then carry on because I can, you are mine to do with as I wish.’ Rachel cums hard but not hard enough with the words Quinn is teasing her with, again the scream is loud and long.

Quinn has to hold herself back from joining her mate in orgasm, she takes a few slower thrusts to focus again and removes her fingers from the ass of her mate much to Rachel’s displeasure. 

Rachel is a little limp but not yet sated and she needs to feel more so she wriggles to annoy the Gyste buried inside her, ‘You little bitch, I told you I was in charge here stop trying to take back control.’ Quinn pulls herself with a filthy slopping sound from her mate and some of the cum spurts out onto Rachel and the white sheets. Quinn holds Rachel’s ass tightly and ruts between the globes adding friction to her scarlet red phallus, her fingers collect some of the viscous fluid and Quinn marvels at the feel on her fingers.

‘Quinn please, I’ll do anything for you, fuck my ass, fuck my mouth, choke me with your dick baby please make me feel you!’ Rachel is becoming frenzied now, she needs to have Quinn use her to feel release, the need to be slutty taking her over and Rachel knows only the bond they share can offer her the release she is chasing. ‘Please Quinn, please use me, fuck me anywhere.’ 

Quinn lets her eyes roll back in her head as she hears the words, Rachel is lost in the lust haze now and Quinn knows only taking her mate to an extreme will bring either of them release.

Quinn pulls Rachel up onto her knees and back to her, using her finger with the cum all over them to lubricate Rachel’s hole she is quick to line her dick up holes her bulbous cock head tightly against Rachel’s sphincter. ‘I am going to fuck you Rach, I am going to fuck you any way I want now.’ Quinn guides herself with the hand that isn’t holding Rachel up and both of them groan deeply when the ring is breached and Quinn stretches the ass of her mate for the first time.

‘You slut Rachel, you dirty slut.’ Quinn keeps forcing herself in chanting the words as she does, both arms now hold Rachel tight to Quinn’s front and Quinn begins a slow but so hard thrusting pace inside Rachel’s ass.

Rachel whimpers at the feel of her mate buried in her ass, this is new to them and very pleasing to the diva, she has craved Quinn losing a little control and using her body for an age and finally the Gyste has slipped and let the more dominant side out to play, Quinn is always so careful with her lover never allowing her Gyste to take too much control but Rachel needs Quinn to be harder with her. 

Quinn slides one hand up to Rachel’s neck circling her throat with her larger hand holding Rachel captive as the other hand moves down and twists Rachel’s nipple violently. ‘Argh!! Fuck fuck!’ Rachel calls out, her nipple burns as Quinn shows no mercy but the noise is quietened by the Gyste tightening her grip on Rachel’s throat cutting off some of the air and making Rachel revel in the thrill of the fear. 

Quinn lets the nipple go and drops her hand to Rachel’s exposed pussy which is pulsing around nothing as the empty hole searches for anything to offer up release, Quinn wants to cum now she is filled with the need and pounds her mate while holding the tight grip on her neck without mercy, ‘Take me Rach, fucking feel me!’ Quinn and Rachel both know this is reaching the end, Rachel is completely subdued and has resigned herself to Quinn’s desires completely, Quinn is ready to burst she is just willing herself to pound harder for the thrill of the release.

Momentarily Rachel feels herself slipping, the edges of her sight are going dark and she is losing her grip on the now, Quinn can feel it too but for Quinn, it is the thrill the Gyste feels that drives her and she lets the Gyste out fully.

The bond is opened and they both lose themselves to the shared emotions of the moment, Rachel can feel Quinn’s desire to own her and the thrill of death a Gyste struggles to control. Quinn revels in the complete submission of her mate and lets that wash over her as her balls tense then pulse and release.

Quinn sinks her teeth into her mate from behind and they are both completed by the action, sharing in that moment lifeforce through the bond.

Rachel cannot scream out this time though she is submitting to the darkness and the feel of complete release she has never felt before.

They both fall forward, Rachel trapped between the bed and her mate as Quinn shudders the final spurts of cum from her now aching cock but she is unable to stop forcing herself into Rachel’s ass and they both writhe together in the final throws of orgasm until the darkness takes both of them and they fall into a post-coital slumber.

 

Rachel and Quinn are both covered in blood and cum and pussy juice looking for all the world like they are dead when Russell kicks the door to their chambers in and knocks the protesting Dilas to the floor, in the bond he felt Rachel die he is sure of it and his only thought was to get to her.

Russell takes in the sight of the room, the bed looks almost destroyed and he can see Rachel is bleeding, there are clothes all over and the lamp on the bedside is on the floor.

Sebastian is next through the door but to hold his father back, he can feel Rachel too he can feel she is alive though and knows his sister is at her most dangerous right at this moment, ‘Father NO!’ he shouts out alerting Quinn finally to her surroundings. 

Quinn naked and bloodied springs from the bed and stares the intruders down. ‘Leave me!’ she roars and Sebastian is thrown to the ground by an unseen force, Russell is still unable to feel Rachel in the bond and decides he must protect the tiny human but Quinn is now in a rage and the pair stand toe to toe eyes blazing ready to kill for the life of Quinn’s mate but for differing reasons.

‘Russell NO!’ Sue appears in the room and Russell is momentarily startled by her voice which is enough for Quinn to attack, the Gyste releases her aura into the room, raising her arms and glowing with power, she roars again and both Russell and Sue collapse with the burning inside their minds, the pair are screaming in pain and Russell is bleeding from his eyes.

Rachel stirs, filled with the power emitted from her mate and is instantly aware of the dangers, from the bed she leaps onto the back of her mate and bites down hard on Quinn’s shoulder the pain and shock forcing the Gyste to stop her assault on her father and aunt.

‘Russ, Russell are you OK?’ When the room calms a little she asks her twin, Quinn has come back to herself a little and although her eyes are blazing still the rage is gone, she wraps Rachel in the sheet for her dignity and reaches for a robe.

Sensing the room is safer now Sue stands, ‘So I am away for a couple of days and you all fall apart.’ 

Russell groans and tries to stand, his daughter would have killed him for sure had Sue not arrived in time. ‘Quinnie, are you OK?’ He asks.

Quinn still does not speak, she has Rachel cradled tightly to her and is searching for any signs she is hurt, ‘I am OK Quinn, relax baby go check your father is OK, I am going to clean up.’ Rachel offers a slightly humiliated smile to her Father-in-law and heads for the bathroom closely followed by Dilas.

‘What were you thinking?’ Quinn turns to her father who still has blood on his face.

‘I felt Rachel die in the bond, I thought she was dead for fuck's sake what was the pair of you doing…’ Russell rounds on Sebastian before he says fucking again.

Sue is shocked too, not by the kinky games her niece was enjoying but the new powers she displayed, ‘Quinn have you reacted like that before?’ Sue asks.

‘No, look can you all just get out, I need to check on Rachel and clean up, for fuck's sake get out and give us some privacy.’ Quinn is annoyed they are all still here in her bedchamber. ‘Father find out where she was and what the fuck all those files from the colonial building mean!’ 

The visitors file out of the room with more questions than ever about the Gyste who is helping Dilas now with Rachel. 


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The situation in the house reaches fever pitch as more questions than answers surface, Eva must face her family and live with her betrayal...

From the outside Quinn can hear the shouting coming from her father’s study, Sam is leaning against the wall barred from the discussion, without a knock Quinn lets herself in and silences the room with a slam of the door.

‘Where the fuck was you!’ Quinn picks her Aunt out first.

‘What difference does it make I am here now!’ Sue has heard this from Russell and her business is her business and what she does with her time is private.

Quinn raises up, ‘You disappeared after a tantrum, you left us to deal with your mess at the offices and you abandoned your claim!’ Quinn is in no mood to mince her words, she is exhausted dealing with all the troubles of late and trying to come to terms with a pregnant mate.

‘How dare you!’ Sue moves towards the Gyste and Russell steps in.

‘Sue, take the criticism, you have a responsibility to the clan, you may have been reaffirming your bond with Margret but you have to be aware of the trouble all this has caused.’ Russell finally got to the bottom of the files before he tried to save Rachel. ‘Your experiments are going to bring the clan down, you have killed several Imps from what I can see and you have brought witchcraft into our lives yet again!’ Russell is the most furious about the magic on his land.

‘Look, I have a role in this family like we all do and Russ, I have been doing my job for a long time and I am good at it, I protect us, I keep all our assets and lands safe and while I am out there doing that for you all, you make money, that has always been the way we work.’ Sue is angry she has been caught out, she knows no matter how hard she tries she will never get Russell to accept the use of magic.

‘Someone knows about the chains!’ Quinn silences her Aunt, ‘Yes Sue, the binding chains, they found out through your work at the Colonial building so tell me this, how do our enemies knowing there is a metal out there that leaves us helpless keep us safe in your opinion?’ 

Sue is stunned by this, she was sure only a very small handful within the clan knew about the chains and subsequently the rings she has fashioned, ‘I don’t know how this happened.’ She says in a hushed tone.

‘I do!’ Russell roars, ‘You became complacent, you allowed your big plans and mad plans to take over and you thought you were untouchable, well guess what you are not untouchable nor are we safe from our enemies now!’ Russell cannot believe this is happening, between his sisters he is going to be ruined.

‘I kept it all secret, I can account for all the chains and rings, I only have one ring and two small links of a chain the rest are in the safe room here on the estate.’ Sue is searching her memory for any other items missing. 

Quinn at least knows all the rings are where they should be on the estate, only she and her father have chains and they are now both secured in the saferoom, not their chambers as before. ‘The fairy circles are active, Rachel and Shelby were pulled into the other realm thanks to your tampering.’ 

‘What? No that is impossible, that can only happen when they are open and it takes a mage to do that!’ Sue cannot believe all this has been going on, her brother has every right to be furious with her and Quinn is just as mad about the whole thing.

‘Well I can assure you it is active, the Domus is involved because of the bodies that keep showing up!’ Russell knows Quinn now has a spell to close the portal once and for all but the news a mage is running about their estate makes thing a whole lot more complicated.

Sue hangs her head, this is all such a fuck up, ‘Let me fix all this, once I talk with Holly we will fix this all for the clan.’ 

Quinn realizes her Aunt is not aware Holly is missing yet. ‘We don’t know where Holly is.’ Quinn states.

‘Another reason we have been trying to find you!’ Russell adds.

Sue is confused, ‘You mean she wasn’t in the Colonial building?’ Sue spoke with Holly a couple of weeks back and she assured Sue she was fine and staying in the city at their suite in the main offices.

‘No, she is nowhere to be found!’ Quinn couldn’t care less right now either, this whole mess needs nipping in the bud and her father needs to deal with his right hand.

Sue tries to feel for Holly in the bond but she cannot focus, maybe it is the stress of all this and she is tired from her journeying with the Cheerios.

_ Seb, get control of yourself and go sit in my office, you are doing that thing again.  _ Quinn feels him outside and knows he is emitting something that is blocking Sue’s usual focus.

Russell can feel Quinn in the bond but will question her later, for now, Sue needs to get on with sorting her mess out, ‘Sue you will deal with the fairy circle and deal with the Domus, I don’t care how you do it just get this mess sorted out and do it today!’ 

 

Rachel comes into Quinn’s office looking for her mate only to find Sebastian lazing on the sofa, ‘Oh Sebastian, I didn’t expect to find you here I was looking for Quinn.’ Rachel was sure she felt her mate in the room before she let herself in. 

‘She sent me here, I think she is on her way though.’ Sebastian moves over on the couch, ‘Sit you must be tired.’ He says and Rachel comes to join him.

‘I am a little.’ She says, ‘all the problems and Quinn being so busy is playing on my mind, I worry she will have no time for the babies once they come.’ 

‘Nonsense, she may be busy now but that will all stop once these little ones come into the world, may I?’ Sebastian reaches for Rachel’s stomach.

‘Yes, go ahead.’ Rachel smiles at him, she didn’t realize he would be this thoughtful. 

Quinn walks in and sees her Mate with Sebastian staring in awe at her stomach his hand gently placed above where the twins sit inside her, ‘Hands off my mate Seb!’ She says but there is no malice in her words.

‘Sorry, it is fascinating!’ Sebastian says as he removes his hand but leaves his eyes firmly fixed on Rachel. 

‘I know but she is mine and you are being a pain in my ass right now!’ Quinn shortens her tone to reinforce the serious nature. 

‘I can’t control it, I spoke with the Guru and they say it is stress.’ Sebastian feels a bit fuzzy again and cannot understand his hunger. ‘Quinn, I don’t want to be confined again.’ He pleads knowing the power she has to decide these things.

‘Me either.’ Quinn didn’t think about that.

‘What is wrong?’ Rachel didn’t realize there was another issue Quinn was dealing with along with the dozen other dramas playing out in the young Gyste’s life. 

‘I am hungrier than usual and somehow I keep pulling the aura from those around me like Quinn can calm us down I am draining them of energy so to speak.’ Sebastian doesn’t understand what he is doing so controlling it is impossible. 

‘How are your Chattel’s?’ Quinn asks her brother, she may need to call for help. 

‘So far coping but I will need another at this rate.’ Sebastian has two chattels whom he feeds from regularly.

‘OK well I think it is time to add one to the list, shall I have Dilas look into it?’ Quinn thinks maybe an Imp male would be more filling for her brother. 

‘Yes please, I am avoiding Elliott a little because he is tempting to me.’ Sebastian is trying to limit the risk to his claim because accidents do happen. 

‘Really?’ Rachel asks, ‘Is it that bad?’ 

‘I am being overly cautious, maybe Sue can tell me more about it now she is back.’ Sebastian would like to be naked with Elliott all day and he is getting a little hard up. 

Rachel looks to Quinn, ‘Did you find out where she has been?’ She asks in regards to the older Gyste.

‘No, I get the feeling Father wants the magic sorted first then he might start looking a little more closely at her whereabouts recently, the country is going to hell and she cannot just leave us with no contact like that.’ Quinn wishes she could run away sometimes but she has responsibilities. 

‘The weapons at the Colonial building bother me Sister.’ Sebastian and Sam were shocked to see the true nature of Sue’s work. 

‘I know, I worry the leak about the binding chains may be the tip of the iceberg, we were exposed long before the rebels last year and they may have been in deep for years.’ Quinn cannot search the minds of every Fabray employee so they are still possibly compromised. 

‘How bad is it at the company?’ Rachel asks, she keeps up with things from Santana but admits she is spoilt by Quinn with no real work to do.

‘Day to day everything is fine, the money is good the general workings of the company are stable and the land rights are all in order, the problem is the small army Sue has amassed on our behalf.’ Quinn says to them both.

‘What numbers are we talking about?’ Rachel is surprised they have an army.

‘Well the Domus has forces numbering three million in this country alone, currently, Fabray Inc. employs eight hundred thousand privately trained conscripts. Sue has been taking them from farms and free lands for years it seems.’ Quinn knows Sue believes they will defend the clan but Quinn sees them as an aggressive act. 

‘Fucking hell, is she planning for Armageddon?’ Sebastian quips.

‘The trouble is brother, we don’t know what she is planning for.’ Quinn stares out of the window thinking about Rando and his problems, is this all a ruse by the elders to keep the younger clans down? 

 

Petra opens the door to her offices and sees her mother-in-law waiting patiently for her, ‘Elish, I didn’t know you were waiting, you should have had them let you in.’ 

‘No matter, I finished a call anyway so I haven’t been waiting long.’ Elish rises and follows Petra back into the office allowing the door to shut as she goes. 

‘Thank you for coming to help me, I have all these texts from the Gyste which are in the language of the ancient and I am not able to translate it all.’ Petra can barely read any of it. 

Elish takes one of the text, ‘Marcus is worse I am sure, he never studied a day growing up just expected the world to bow to him and look where that got him.’ 

Petra rolls her eyes, despite her complicated feelings about Marcus she hates how Elish belittles her mate.

 

When Russell lets himself into the rooms of his sister Eva he is met by an Imp and Nicol, ‘What are you planning to do?’ He sneers at the young man.

‘Uncle, how lovely of you to visit?’ Nicol is petulant.

‘You have no leverage here boy.’ Russell is on the young Gyste with eyes blazing and tusks bared before Nicol can blink. ‘Your mother and you went against the clan, just how far I am yet to learn, you should be grateful I am visiting and not my children.’ The threat is clear and Nicol slumps down.

Russell ignores the Imp and carries on to the room he senses his sister is in. ‘Eva get up, I want you with me in the main hall in five minutes no fucking questions.’ Russell shocks the woman who was tattling with her daughters. 

‘Yes Sir.’ there is no sarcasm from her and Russell turns on his heels and leaves them to finish their chatting. 

‘What does that mean?’ Andrea asks.

Eva shakes her head, ‘No idea.’ She stands and straightens her clothes, if this is the end and Russell is going to execute her she will at least be well turned out. 

 

In the main hall Russell joins his mate and claim and his children, Burt is sat to the side he has spoken with Kurt about what is to happen and Kurt is in agreement with the rest of them.

‘She is coming.’ Russell takes a seat in the middle of the odd semi-circle they have chosen.

When Eva arrives she scours the room for a dagger but she knows Russell has weapons in the shape of children to do his bidding, she heard how they disposed of Carol for her hapless twin.

‘Stand in the middle Eva.’ Judi instructs and Eva is confused, the Mate to a high-blood Gytse is powerful but surely Russell will not allow her to carry out an execution.

When Eva is in her position Quinn, Russell, Sam, Sebastian, and Burt all hang their heads and stare at the floor, Eva is not understanding what is going on here she has never seen this behavior before but Russell and the family have all agreed what is to come next.

Judi and Rachel stand and move slowly towards the Gyste, ‘Eva as a mother you know the bonds we have with our children and how we would do anything for them.’ Judi begins, ‘You know how every single moment with them is precious and how you would do anything to protect them.’ Eva is just looking between Judi and Rachel dum struck.

Rachel can feel the strength of Quinn in the room and the family bond that holds them all together, ‘Your actions have risked every child and every child to come in this clan, we had the power to save every single child born Gytse in the future but you have put that in jeopardy.’ Rachel is talking about the chains and their power to save even the most stricken Gyste from madness. 

Santana stands now and joins the other women, ‘You put financial gains for your children above the safety of us all and that will not be forgiven.’ 

Eva still doesn’t know what is happening, why are Russell and her twin ignoring this. Quinn reads her in the bond and passes this to Rachel. ‘The Gyste born of your blood have turned their backs on you forever and because of this they will never look on you again.’ Rachel says.

‘NO!’ Eva shouts, ‘No Russ, no do not do this to me!’ Finally, Eva understands, she is being cast out, she will be without a clan, alone in the world forever more without the protection of the Fabray clan or name and her children will be orphaned to the rest of the clans. 

‘He won’t help you, Eva, you are nothing to them now.’ Judi says, ‘but before you are taken from the estate to fend for yourself we will take from you one more thing.’ 

Rachel moves forward, she is the only one apart from Quinn and Russell who could do this but the Gyste have already cast her out and will never look at her again. ‘We will take from you the memory of the chains, of where they are and what they do, we will leave you without the power to ever harm our children again.’

Santana is quick and grabs the Gyste firmly to hold her still, ‘Russ! Russell!’ Eva tries again and screams for her brother, ‘Burt please don’t let him do this to me, you will be without me forever, how can you forsake me this way?’ Eva desperately tries to get one of them to look at her, to see her pleading with them for her redemption. 

Judi and Rachel close their eyes and take a breath, Santana allows her eyes to flash into the iridescent blue that marks her Succubus heritage and when Judi and Rachel open theirs both have blazing golden eyes.

‘NO! NO! NO!’  Eva screams again but her fate is sealed, Rachel allows Quinn to come into her mind and the Gyste uses the bond with her mate to rid her Aunt of any knowledge that could harm the clan in the future, Quinn sees a hidden stash of money in the western province but leaves Eva with this for the future, she has lost her clan and things will be almost impossible for her with or without wealth. 

Eva slumps to the ground and Rachel allows her eyes to return to their normal color, Judi keeps them for a little longer though, the power from her mate and daughter is a kick and Judi revels a little in the feeling.

Russell and his Gyste family stand without looking at his sister and leave through the rear of the room.

Santana looks at the stricken woman but feels no guilt for what they have done, Eva compromised the family in the worst way, Sam and Sebastian would have killed her for putting them at risk so she should be grateful Russell was more sympathetic to her and her children.

Once Eva is left alone the Eunuch move quickly and Eva’s children are physically removed from the house much to their surprise, the staff and consorts the Fabray clan provide stay and for maybe the first time the three children to Eva are without any support, Eva is then brought to them stunned and silently in shock.

‘Mama!’ Andrea rushes to her mother, ‘What is happening, what have they done to you?’ 

Eva doesn’t answer, Remus comes from the house and stands before the four True-Gyste. ‘You are cast out, no longer under the protection of Russell Fabray and his clan, you are without lands or titles to that effect, go now and never return on pain of death!’ Remus turns and ignores them as he returns back to his safety inside the house and clan.

Eva begins to sob, ‘Mama, we need to talk to Russell, he cannot do this to you!’ Nicol pleads for his mother to pull herself together.

‘No, there is nothing for us here and they will kill me if any of us ever call ourselves Fabray again, come on we need to get to the western lands before Quinn decides I am not worthy for even a pittance in cash.’ Her children are bewildered but all follow their mother without further question.

In the house Russell sits with his back to the window, he let her live but he has condemned her to an uncertain future. 


	31. Chapter 31

If breakfast at the estate was a warzone peace meeting the tension could not have been higher. Sue is angry she was excluded from the expulsion yesterday and that her wish to execute their treasonous sister was ignored. Burt through he agreed to the action of the family is angry because Sue has put the family at risk and Russell is not punishing his twin like Eva. Russell is on edge because the family is in disarray again which means he is having to come back to lead them when he should be taking some time for himself. Quinn is put out that Russell has taken back the reigns of the house from her, Sue should be made to suffer for what she has done but Russell is protecting her.

Santana is watching the Gyste closely, as per Quinn’s request she has been studying all the old laws and Gyste histories and she is painfully aware how the high-blood clans have torn themselves apart through their bickering and in-fighting. The Succubus watches Quinn for a while until the Gyste notices and offers a sad smile,  _ Don’t fret my friend, Sam and Sebastian will be OK I promise.  _

Quinn knows Santana is confused and scared with all that is going on, ‘Sam we need to finalize some of the lake work today, Sebastian can you join us?’ Santana needs to get the brothers out of the house. 

‘Why can’t you do it here?’ Sue asks, she might need some help with the magic problem. 

‘Because I have asked them to work at the Colonial building.’ Quinn shuts the conversation down. Sue and Russell are aware where the loyalties of the younger Gyste lays. 

‘Quinn your mother and Shelby will be in the city later, can you have the Imp watch for trouble.’ Russell hopes to keep his close bond to Quinn but this relies on her being prepared to stay within the clan.

Quinn smiles, ‘Certainly, I shall be at the council for the votes until three.’ Quinn makes it clear she will continue to act as the head of the family for the council to see. 

Sue looks suspiciously at her family, do they know where Holly is? Is Russell weakened to the point where Quinn will take the name of the family from him by force? Why is she unable to focus her energies like before?

‘I am coming with you into town.’ Rachel says to her mate.

‘Good, let’s get going so I have time to drop you before the council convenes.’ Quinn would prefer Rachel stayed close to her for now, she cannot trust her Aunt with Rachel’s safety.

‘Rebekah and I are taking the twins to a playgroup today, did you want to come Rach?’ Mike hopes having the young Gyste mix with other children may help them learn some manners.

‘I may meet you later if that is ok?’ Rachel had other plans.

‘Sure, I will send you the details.’ Mike needs to ask Rachel about some things without Quinn around, he figures he might need help with his testy claimer and Rachel is the ideal confidant.

Sue watches them all leave for their day with a heavy heart, none of them seem interested in Holly and this bothers her on two fronts, firstly Holly is a member of the family and they are ignoring the fact she could be in danger and secondly, Sue is scared and her family should care more.

 

Shelby and Judi sit having coffee in the city, they are mainly people watching and enjoying being away from the stresses of the estate, Russell does not want them being involved in the magic that is happening and so he suggested a shopping trip but their hearts are not in it.

‘You were quiet after the meeting yesterday, was it stressful?’ Shelby was excluded from the Eva business as she is a claim and so has no say in family matters except in private.

‘A little, if I am honest the power is a trip, Quinn, and Russell combined are very powerful.’ Judi smiles as she relives some of the feelings.

‘Like when Quinn opened the bond to us?’ Shelby felt the tingle for days after.

Judi finishes her coffee, ‘I guess but more, I am not sure how Rachel deals with it all the time, I am lead to believe she is able to channel the Gyste much more from Quinn.’ 

‘Quinn is an unknown even to your family?’ Shelby is learning all about the Gyste laws and how the clans are set up and Quinn has a different relationship with Russell than the other high-blood clans.

‘Yes, Russell and she are closer now.’ Judi waves to a server, ‘Quinn has always been colder somehow than the other children, I mean she is very in control of her emotions these days.’ 

‘Do you think this will split the clan eventually?’ Shelby has to ask.

‘Something tells me no, I really think Quinn and Russell are different.’ Judi pours another drink for them both from a new jug and they settle back to watch the world go by.

 

At the Colonial building Quinn is holding court with her siblings, ‘So this is how things stand, Sam you can claim the land rites from the Imp clan that Santana was born into, that way no-one has a chance of mining on your land.’ 

‘Good, Dilas had the papers ready before all this kicked off so I will file them with the council later today and we will put an end to Marcus and Petra’s plans.’ Sam is pleased to have left the worries of the estate behind.

‘Do we have time to go over the fashion houses today, I have emails back from Kurt in regards to my suggestions and I think we can go ahead.’ Sebastian has still been working hard.

‘I do not know enough about commerce of this kind to be of help I am afraid, can I just agree with whatever you decide.’ Quinn has little interest in fashion shops.

‘OK, next on the list, the first of the baby blessings.’ Sam knows his sister is behind on these things too.

‘I have the schedules drawn up, all I need are the guests for each occasion.’ Dilas hands Quinn some papers. 

‘Rach, can you deal with this, I will give you the names of the other clans to invite tonight.’ Quinn hates all the blessings.

‘Of course, I would like you to be involved a little though Quinn, you seem disinterested in the birth of our first children.’ Rachel is a little putout, Quinn only seems to care about the pregnancy when Rachel is horny!

‘You are imagining that!’ Santana steps in to stop a tiff.

‘The test on the samples Rando provided will be ready later today, shall I bring them to you at the council?’ Sebastian asks.

‘Yes please, bring Elliott along to look round.’ Quinn smiles at her brothers claim.

‘Good idea, I might join you Seb I never visit the council chambers.’ Rachel is keen to be seen by the other clans, she is conscious Quinn must have many admirers.

Quinn looks at her twin again, everytime Rachel talks his aura lights up but she feels no lust from him. ‘Seb can I ask if the hunger is better now?’ Quinn hasn’t noticed him being as on edge.

‘It is better actually, must have been the stress as the Guru said.’ Sebastian is conscious of his feelings for Rachel and has been working through them with Marin and the help of Elliott.

‘Good, right I will meet with Rando later to discuss his problems and see how far this new friendship goes,’ Quinn still does not entirely trust him but the enemy of mine enemy and all that, ‘Marley is working hard on all this, can you check she is rested too San, oh and tell her we need a scan for Rachel tomorrow I believe it should be three months and the little ones will be taking shape.’ 

Rachel looks at her mate, ‘Do you mean they will be looking like babies already?’ Rachel has been reading some pregnancy books Jesse kindly fetched her but they are for Imps and breeding stock there is very little information regarding Blood-Gytse.

Santana sniggers, ‘Rach they will have teeth by now so beware the bumps in the night!’ Santana makes a ghost sounds to back up her story.

‘No the twins are a few weeks away from teeth, they are very strong though.’ Sebastian looks up and with all eyes on him curses himself for letting his knowledge slip.

‘Right let’s all get on, Sebastian walk with me please.’ Quinn rises to leave for the council.

 

Judi laughs loudly as a Vamp strides past wearing feathers in his hair, ‘Oh my will you look at that.’ 

Shelby smiles too, ‘I don’t understand half of the Vamp rituals.’ 

‘OK, so a quick lesson for you, at the top are the pure blood Vamps, mostly made up of six families going back to the thousand year reign of the arch-Duke Mohammed, he was the first Vamp to join all the clans together under one ruling council.’ Judi knows so much from studying when she joined the Fabray clan. ‘These have children between themselves and this is how they believe they keep the blood pure.’ Judi makes a face.

‘But surely they have problems with inbreeding?’ Shelby knows about this from her time as a surrogate, all her children are carefully monitored so they do not interbreed. 

‘This is the big question, we know there are certain traits and problems the Vamps have been selective about breeding out of their clans, for instance, the original clans had a form of photophobia which lead them to lurk in the shadows and do business mainly at night, this is now a rare throwback which comes only in the lower classes.’ Judi is enjoying this, she misses the teaching she has done with her family in the past.

‘The farming Vamp family are lower bred aren’t they?’ Shelby knows her Imp master was low down on the list for favours.

‘Yes but vitally important to the Vamp communities, they need the humans to be free of disease and so the Farms grew in importance especially in the last hundred years.’ Judi was told about the plagues of yesteryear and how the Vamps fought battles in the streets for food and power, this lead to the last of the wars between the clans. ‘So now there are several of the high-blood clans who also breed farms, Rando is one of them.’ 

Shelby shivers, she knows she has no right to ask questions about her children but the two girls he took she never heard from again, ‘I keep hoping the stories about him and his cruelty were similar to the legend of the Gyste.’ 

Judi nods in sympathy, ‘Rachel was terrified of Quinn when she arrived you know.’ Judi and Shelby have talked before about Rachel and how she settled into the clan.

‘Rachel was promised to an Imp to be a nanny to his clan, he had many meetings with Rachel before he died and I think he filled her head with stories about the Vamps and the Gyste to keep her loyal to him.’ Shelby knows some of the stories herself, the Fabray’s may well be kind and just in their own minds but to outsiders they still live the life of fated Gyste and have so much more power than they use.

‘The lower caste clans of Vamps some were human once?’ Shelby has never met one but again the stories abound.

‘Yes, the Vampirie carry a virus which is harmless to them and most humans but they are able to activate it and so turn a human into a Vamp but the results are hard to manage, the newly formed Vamps are almost impossible to control and most are feral but in the great wars the Vamp clans used these poor creatures as cannon fodder against the Human armies.’ Judi knows the Gyste have a similar ability but this practice is punishable by death. 

‘Interesting that they have this simbiotic relationship with humans though, I mean the blood they need can come only from a living human.’ Shelby thinks.

‘Yes and Russell told me they cannot store the blood either, the Vamps need the blood directly from the vein of a living donor without this they wither and die.’ Judi thinks about the fact humans are so very important to all the clans. 

 

‘Seb I am not going to fight with you or scold you but I want the truth about you and Rachel.’ Quinn says once they are in the lift alone.

‘Honestly Sister mine I am not sure what is happening either, I am drawn to your mate and I swear I am trying to stay away and I would never ever be disrespectful to you or her..’ Sebastian rambles on.

‘Seb, it’s ok, I know you are trying I know.’ Quinn lays her hand on his shoulder. ‘I trust you one hundred percent around my mate please stop fretting, I am asking how this is affecting you?’ 

‘The hunger goes away when I am near her, I can feel the babies inside and they fill me with love, all I want to do is hold Rachel close but I swear to you I would never touch her.’ Sebastian knows Quinn can be jealous of the smallest touch.

‘Have you tried holding her?’ Quinn asks.

Sebastian hangs his head in submission, ‘No Sister I swear I would never dare!’ 

‘Hey Seb,’ Quinn lifts her brothers chin, ‘It’s OK, I think I know what is happening to you and to Rachel.’ 

Sebastian relaxes as the lift door opens to the main entrance, ‘What am I to do sister mine?’ He asks.

Quinn smiles he only honest smile which is usually reserved for Rachel alone, ‘Meet me in the council offices later with my mate and your claim and all will be revealed, in the meantime, just relax brother.’ Quinn gently pats his cheek then turns to leave for her day at the council with Sebastian still confused. 

 

Rando is pacing again, Quinn promised him answers and she is late but he tries to remain calm. Earlier in the day three clans made requests for information from him regarding the virus, they know his farms are unaffected and to the suspicious Vamps families it won’t take long before they turn against him.

Usually Dilas would be here to greet a visitor but he is with Rachel and so a low ranking trusted Eunuch comes out from Quinn’s room with his head bowed. 

‘Sir, the Mistress will see you now.’ He says without lifting his head and remains bowed as Rando enters Quinn’s offices.

‘Thank you Emmet, Rando come sit I have good news of a sort.’ Quinn tries to put him at ease.

‘Thank fuck for that,’ Rando sits in the plush leather chair before Quinn’s desk, ‘Who is the new Eunuch?’ He asks, curious where the ever present Dilas is.

‘Dilas is to attend Rachel alone whilst she is pregnant, it makes it easier for me to control the pair of them.’ Quinn is relaxed around the Vamp enough to be vague.

‘Control them?’ Rando asks, he thought Quinn was far from in control of her mate.

‘Yes poor choice of words, Rachel is very emotional which is to be understood this is her first pregnancy and the Gyste are playing tricks on her as they grow, having Dilas with her means I am not called to deal with every small drama as it happens, Dilly can do that and as he is with her I am not having to calm him down either.’ Quinn has them in her head all day long so she knows what the pair are doing at all times.

‘I want to know more but I feel this is not the time, you said good news?’ Rando hopes to learn more about the Eunuch one day.

‘Yes, here.’ Quinn hands him some sheets Marley dropped by and explained to her just half an hour before. ‘So the virus can be identified here.’ Quinn points to a DNA diagram, ‘This comes from a flu strain all but wiped out in this country fifty some years ago.’ 

Rando stares at the pages, the medical words mean little to him, ‘But is isn’t dead, I mean it is infecting the farms all across the south now except mine of course.’ 

‘Yes and here is why,’ Quinn shows him another page with names of clans all over the world including Rando and Quinn’s. ‘So we all give shots to the humans in our charge, this is common practice, you are giving an outdated version of the vaccinations.’ Quinn explains, ‘Now Marley explained to me that in this case this has prevented the spread of the virus on your farms, I would imagine this was a cost saving measure on your part?’ Quinn raises her eyebrow.

‘No idea, I haven’t changed a thing on the farms since I took the chair for the clan, I guess I thought why fix what isn’t broke?’ Rando hasn’t thought much about the farms, he hopes to phase them all out so didn’t look to improve or change anything.

‘Well in this instance it has helped you, Marley can send a team to help you modernise if you choose to but that is an open offer, in the meantime I have had a report drawn up for you to explain the virus and why you remain clean.’ Quinn hands him one of Sebastian’s folders. ‘The flu virus is a natural thing, the humans cannot be harmed if they are in good health it is just unfortunate that it leaves their  blood poisoned for a few weeks, I suggest you offer a blood bank to the poorer clans from the south I am sure they will be grateful.’ 

Rando smiles, ‘I am sure they will and I would be grateful to have your medical team come and show us how to improve, we are living in the dark ages where our humans are concerned.’ Rando is still young and knows he has so much to learn about running a clan than he previously thought.

‘Good, I will also leave the Imp army close to your lands, I have filed a plan for war games in that area which gives me the right to amass troops there and should you have any trouble I will support you Rando you have my word.’ Quinn is never going to be one hundred percent sure of this Vamp but he is growing in her confidence all the time.

‘Thank you Quinn, I have something else to offer.’ Rando takes out an envelope, ‘This is unusual I know but I had some photos collected of Rachel’s siblings, I don’t know how their mother will feel about it but they are well I assure you and perhaps in the future your father would allow his claim to visit, I will open the door to her at anytime.’ Rando searched for a gift to thank Quinn with and Cassandra suggested this as an opener.

Quinn studies the photos, the two women are similar but different to Rachel and she can see they share the lighter eyes of their mother so Rachel must have inherited her dark orbs from Hiram. ‘Thankyou, I will pass these to my father and let him know your kind offer.’

 

Rachel arrives at the council not five minutes after Rando leaves for the day and is shown straight to Quinn’s office.

‘Hey beautiful!’ Quinn jumps up to greet her mate.

‘Sebastian has taken Elliott for some lunch, he said he will be about an hour.’ Rachel looks about the room, it is all dark wood and power.

‘Well, would you like something to eat here?’ Quinn asks wrapping her mate tightly in an embrace.

‘Actually I hoped you were hungry.’ Rachel flirts with her mate. 

Quinn chuckles at her little lover, ‘My love are you feeling a little fruity?’ Quinn kisses her mate’s lips.

‘I am feeling down right brazen if I am honest, I can DIY if you don’t have time but I am soaking wet.’ Rachel pulls Quinn’s hand down to her panties and lets the Gyste feel the heat.

With a Gyste growl and smirk Quinn lifts her mate then deposits her on the large desk, ‘Best I get comfy my dear, this is a job for a professional.’ Quinn rips the offending underwear from Rachel and they both giggle.

 

‘Shit!’ Sebastian says randomly as he and his claim sit eating lunch.

‘Sir? What is it? Is it the food I will have them change your meal.’ Elliott panics at the outburst from his Claimer.

‘No, darling no.’ Elliott and Sebastian both look shocked at the term but Sebastian just feels closer to his claim than before, ‘It is just the family bond, Quinn and Sam can mask their feelings well but since Rachel and Quinn mated the little diva often forgets.’ 

Elliott looks confused, ‘I don’t understand.’ 

‘Quinn and Rachel are… shall we say being intimate.’ Sebastian watches the realization as it moves into his Claims eyes, ‘Yes, Rachel gives off an aura like the Gytse do and she is throwing that out to the family right now, as I am close enough I can feel her and believe me when I say Quinn is being very thorough with her mate.’ Sebastian offers a shy smile.

‘Ew.’ Elliott gets a mental picture he could do without. ‘Wait, I was going to ask anyway, how did Rachel become pregnant?’ 

Sebastian shakes his head, maybe his mother could have mentioned Quinn’s unusual anatomy so he didn’t need to explain.

 

‘Fuck, there!’ Rachel keens again, ‘Argh Quinn your tongue is amazing you know that!’ 

Quinn offers a garbled response neither really cares about. Quinn has Rachel spread on the desk, panties long gone with the little diva’s legs over the Gyste’s shoulders her heels digging into Quinn’s back with each stroke of the tongue through her folds. 

‘I am close baby, please more just a little more.’ Rachel begins to vibrate as she nears her climax and the volume of her panting and moans increases. 

Quinn smiles and then brings her hand up to Rachel’s core, her fingers will add the extra Rachel needs to seal the deal. Without warning two of the Gyste’s long digits force themselves into the moaning Diva sending her higher and closer as Quinn sets about battering Rachel’s swollen clit with her tiring tongue. 

‘OH….. Quinn….Fuck!’ Rachel releases a final high-pitched wail and her pussy gushes over Quinn’s pumping fingers and onto the antique desk they used as a makeshift bed.

With her trademark smirk and grin Quinn rises from her knees and looks down on the still twitching open legs of her mate, pleased with herself and the results she watches as Rachel recovers slowly. 

‘I wonder if all Gyste are as smug as you are.’ Rachel says as she holds her hand out for Quinn to sit her on the desk. 

‘If they are lucky enough to have a wailing mate like mine I am sure they are.’ Quinn winks as she pulls her mate close.

‘We should clean up, Sebastian will be on his way.’ Rachel comments.

Quinn wonders if Rachel assumes her brother is on his way or if she can feel him like he feels her pregnant mate. 

‘Come on Quinnie, no time for a turn for you now!’ Rachel pats Quinn on the ass to move her and heads for the bathroom to wash some of the scent of sex from her before her mate’s Gyste brother arrives with his claim. 

 

When Sebastian is shown in by the stammering Emmet Rachel and Quinn are sat on the couch in a demure fashion, Sebastian shakes his head as Emmet struggles to decide whether he needs to bow curtsy or dance a jig in the Gyste’s presence.

‘Where did you find him?’ Sebastian comments as Emmet shuts the door and leaves them alone.

Quinn laughs, ‘He is young and very nervous he only left the seminary a couple of weeks ago but Dilas chose him because he has a good knowledge of the law.’ Dilas knew Quinn would want a Eunuch with a good brain to share her day with she hates the Eunuch without an opinion but Emmet is taking his time realising this.

‘Where is the ever present Dilas?’ Sebastian looks for him behind the sofa and Quinn laughs.

‘He is having some private time.’ Rachel answers, ‘He is rather taken by a young lady.’ Rachel has met her and she is a lovely young Imp. 

‘I thought they cut their dicks off?’ Elliott says and the room stares at him, ‘Sorry I just thought, well you know Eunuch?’ He motions to his lap. 

‘The term refers to the idea they give over themselves to a family and forego any will of their own, this isn’t how we want our Eunuch to be though and they can have lives outside of the clan if they chose, most have sex if that is what you are asking they are not monks afterall.’ Quinn isn’t being nasty or flippant to Sebastian’s Claim and Elliott doesn’t feel berated he just has a lot to learn.

‘Anyway, now we are all here I have something to show you.’ Quinn goes to her desk and collects a large tome that looks a thousand years old. ‘Rebekah pulled this for me from the Archive, it is an account of a clan from years gone by, they cronacle much of their lives and it has an account of a young Gyste I think you might be interested in.’ 

Sebastian takes the book and flicks to the page marked by Quinn, he reads and as he does a smile begins to form on his face. 

‘What is it about?’ Rachel asks her mate who shares her twins goofy look.

‘It would appear I am having a phantom pregnancy, this is where my hunger comes from and why I am being drawn to be closer to you and the babies growing inside you.’ Sebastian quickly explains then reads on a little more. 

‘It’s true, Sebastian has bonded to the babies growing inside you and this is why he is hungry so much of the time, when he is near you it fades because the little Gyste are feeding on him, this could be why you are not craving blood yet as most humans do when they fall pregnant to Gyste.’ Quinn is glad all this is out in the open and she finds it hilarious that Sebastian may well develop breasts as the pregnancy reaches an end, Sebastian however lets out a shrill wail when he reaches this part of the story. ‘You found the boobies then.’ Quinn roars laughing at the look of horror on her brother’s face. 


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russell faces some hard decisions, he may risk splitting the family but he must take back control....

Russell knows he must speak with his sister, her courtesan Holly is still missing and Sue is demanding Quinn move the Imp armies back to the estate to help look for the missing Imp.

When Quinn arrives Russell knows she will not back down from her decision and he has already decided to support his daughter in this, ‘Father?’ Quinn asks as she closes the door to his private office.

‘Come in darling, I want to catch up with you.’ Russell shows them both to the comfy seats and casually sits.

‘Catch up?’ Quinn can feel he is relaxed but is not reaching further. ‘Do you have news from Sue about Holly?’ Quinn always likes the tall blonde and she is a little concerned now.

‘Nothing, Sue is fretting but I don’t know, I just don’t feel anything is wrong you know.’ Russell has searched and searched in the bond and cannot locate Holly but he feels no fear or anxiety either. 

‘So you think Sue knows where she is?’ Sue has been calling Quinn all morning making demands for the imps to return to the estate.

‘I think she knows what has happened, I think she is scared we will find out.’ Russell knows Sue is blocking him from her thoughts and he had asked Quinn not to interfere this time.

‘Is it likely to be magic?’ Sue has assured the Domus the Mage that she knows has rid the estate and so far Leroy is content to let it go and allow the clan to deal with things internally. 

‘I believe so, ask Rebekah to feel about but keep her safe Quinn, your Aunt can be testy if she feels checked up on.’ Russell knows how Sue acts and she is displaying all the signs of a cornered animal right now.

‘OK, I will have her look at things from a distance but Sir, I will not return the Imps to the estate, I made a promise to Rando and I will keep it.’ Quinn tries to keep the anger from her voice but she hates being dictated to.

‘No darling that is fine, I will not step in Sue will have to just settle this alone, she caused it she can work it out.’ Russell knows he should be more annoyed at his twin but he let her get away with so many things he should have known something would backfire eventually. 

‘I have something from Rando for you, I have not told Rachel about it.’ Quinn hands the photos to her father and he inspects them.

‘Are these..’ He looks closely and can see the eyes of his claim shared with these women, ‘The children of Shelby?’ Russell asks.

‘Yes, both are with Rando and still have free will, he bought them as surrogates and they live on an outpost the clan owns in relative comfort.’ Quinn had Dilas do some digging so she knows the women are in fact living a simple but free life at the behest of the Vamp. 

Russell looks again, ‘They look well, should I tell Shelby?’ He asks his daughter.

‘Rando assures me Shelby is welcome to visit with them but he will not be giving them up to her or you, I know it is a tough one but I thought at the very least Shelby should know they are alive and not enthralled.’ Quinn tries to look on the bright side.

‘I guess that is a blessing, I will talk with your mother, if he is not prepared to give them up I cannot see Shelby being able to rest knowing he has them, prisoner.’ Russell is already thinking how to bring them to his claim.

‘Father, they are just the same as claims are to us, I know they are Vamp laws but we need to respect them the same as we demand the Vamps respect us, Rando will one day overhaul the clans I just know it but he cannot do it alone and he doesn’t stand a chance if we go to war with him.’ Quinn knows her father can see sense.

Russell tries to imagine again how Shelby will react, ‘I just think this will do more harm than good to know for Shelly.’ 

‘I brought this to you sir in good faith and it was offered in the same vein, we are all trying to affect change within out clans and kind, Rando is doing the same and he has an uphill task ahead of him.’ Quinn can see Rando becoming an ally to her but if her father cannot trust him this makes things almost impossible for her. 

‘I will let you make the call on the family Quinn but I would appreciate some time to think Shelby over with my Mate.’ Russell says this with a smile on his face but Quinn understands her Father makes his own decisions. 

‘Of course Sir.’ She says and bows her head.

Russell looks up as Phillip comes into the room with a note for him, ‘This is from the Domus, just to confirm they have closed the case on the Magic circles in the forest.’ Russell reads the note and sighs.

‘Thankyou Phillip, perhaps we can finally draw to a close this family’s involvement with the Domus for a while.’  Russell lets the Eunuch leave before he speaks again. ‘How are your mate and my grandbabies?’ He asks.

‘Overall doing really well, we will have a scan later today to check but she seems content for now if a little needy.’ Quinn winks and her father laughs.

‘I have to say it was one of the plus points to your mother being pregnant, the feeding and the moods I could do without but the variety in the bedroom was fun.’ Russell smiles as his daughter looks shocked.  ‘Did you look into the other thing?’ Russell refers to the incident in the bedroom when Quinn lost control for a moment.

‘I have spoken with the Guru and meditated on it, I am sure it was just the pressure of the moment but yes I am aware I am displaying new gifts all the time some of which takes me by surprise.’ Quinn will take the time to study herself soon but for now, she is keen to get through the pregnancy and the troubles with the council. 

‘I must say I was a little surprised Rachel became pregnant?’ Russell knew Quinn was struggling with the idea of a child so soon.

Quinn smiles, ‘Well I have a habit of removing my band and watch at the same time before bed, usually on waking it is the first thing I reach for but we had a mishap one morning and it was forgotten in our haste!’ 

‘Oh I see, well that happens I guess.’ Russell knew how keen Rachel was for a baby and wonders how un-planned the pregnancy really was but Quinn seems more settled now so why cause trouble. ‘I know I have retreated from you lately, I am trying to reconcile it all in my head, Eva, your sister dying, you and Sam ascending so close to each other, all of this mess with Sue and the bloody magic on the estate again.’ Russell wonders about many things he doesn’t share with his children. ‘I guess we are all coming to terms with things changing so quickly, may I ask one thing?’ 

Quinn nods to her father, ‘of course anything.’ 

Russell mulls the wording over in his head a little then says, ‘Will you split the clan? Will you go it alone I mean?’ Russell has to know.

‘No, never, I meant it when I said I would remain loyal to you.’ Quinn is scared of a future alone if she is honest. ‘I guess our future is going to be different to our history, how can we modernise the clans and still make the same mistakes, there is room in the Fabray name for all the dominant Gyste to live side by side as far as I am concerned, I will not betray you father although I cannot promise to agree with everything you do or say I will remain under your roof until you stand aside.’ Quinn means what she says, she wants to enjoy being a parent to the babies and she would like to enjoy a little of the life she has planned without all the trappings of the head of a house. 

‘I do appreciate all you have done for the clan so far Quinn, you grow every day and I am glad of the time I have taken to write and decide where I want this clan to go in the future, we will change things, Quinn, even if we have to go it alone.’ Russell means his words, he is going to change the Gyste world one day and now he is sure his daughter will stand by his side he is even more determined. 

 

Dilas and Rachel are in the chambers both laying on a couch each watching an old film, Rachel loves the cinema the family has but lazing on the couch in her PJ’s with cookies is the best. ‘I love this part Miss.’ Dilas says bringing Rachel out of her dreaming. 

‘Me too Dilly, I think sometimes Quinn has a romantic lead sort of look about her, of course, if she would wear something other than black it would be better.’ Rachel thinks Quinn has outgrown her all-black phase but the Gyste clings to the clothes she loves.

Dilas smiles, Quinn is easy to shop for he likes that about her clothes, ‘Have you had a chance to shop for the babies?’ Dilas asks, he would like to go with Rachel, he loves all the little outfits Ava and Iris have. 

‘Not so much, my mother says it is bad luck to buy too much but I would like to arrange the nursery.’ Rachel has had Quinn extend their rooms, Quinn has taken the old playroom and the classroom that was across the hall from their current chambers. 

‘What is bad luck?’ Quinn asks as she comes through the door to the chambers and discovers her mate and the Eunuch lounging in front of the TV. 

‘Buying too many things for the babies before they are born.’ Rachel sits up a little inviting her lover to sit behind her and snuggle a little.

Dilas smiles at the happy sight, ‘Ma’am do you want anything?’ He asks Quinn.

‘No finish the film Dilly, where is Emmett anyway?’ Quinn hasn’t seen the other Eunuch since she entered the house earlier from attending the Guru.

‘I haven’t seen him, I will go find him.’ Dilas makes to stand but Quinn waves him down again.

‘I don’t need anything Dilas relax a little, he is probably eating with the others.’ Quinn knows most of the household will be eating at this time, the chattels and the Eunuch all together with the Imps and some of the other Gyste family that make their home on the estate but live in the shadows. 

Rachel settles herself into Quinn and revels in the heat of the Gyste, the rooms are kept at a comfortable temperature for the Gyste who hate too much heat so Rachel often relaxes either with a soft blanket or in the arms of her mate. ‘Your mother reminded me we need to attend the council to announce the babies officially by the end of the month.’ Rachel is glad she has Judi to guide her in these things, she is amazed Judi was able to do this practically alone the first time with the upheaval in the house.

‘Great!’ Quinn scoffs, ‘There will be a full debate at the end of the week, all the great houses are to attend.’ Quinn reminds Dilas as he will be expected to join Quinn, it is too important to leave to a junior Eunuch with all the heads of state there. 

Rachel turns a little, ‘What is going on?’ 

‘Well several clans are petitioning for changes to the status of humans, the debate will begin the process and allow us all to choose sides so to speak.’ Quinn has been lining up her friends and enemies on this subject for a while. ‘The main bulk of the opposition will, of course, come from the high-blood Vamp clans but I think we can rely on a few to see reason.’ 

‘What about the charges Ma’am.’ Dilas is asking about the status of the Imps who like him serve and as yet no decision has been made by any of the clans.

‘Not sure, the high-blood Imp castes are not keen to change anything, they see it as a way for the lower castes to gain powers, personally, if we are to change anything for the humans there are the other clans we need to remember too.’ Quinn refers to the Imps and Incubi who have a lower status but she is also forgetting the Hornets who will need to be considered.

‘I bet it will be a lively debate.’ Rachel says half watching the end of the film, ‘Probably go on late too.’ She comments.

Dilas answers without thinking, ‘These debates can continue through the night with the clans feeding in the chambers to keep going.’ 

Quinn gives him a stare but he is oblivious to her meaning, ‘Hold on, you will be gone for days?’ Rachel moves to face her Gyste mate.

‘Thanks, Dilly!’ Quinn quips, ‘Possibly but this is just the first stage of the debates darling this whole process can take years and that is if it is successful, the Vamp’s will look to shut it down quickly to keep the status quo.’ Quinn knows the vamps have the upper hand in numbers presently and she doubts this time things will change. 

 

Russell and Judi sit in the sunroom enjoying some time with the young twins, Ava and Iris have calmed somewhat and are happily painting themselves and the floor. 

‘I am not seeing a masterpiece.’ Russell laughs as Iris again eats the paint off the brush.

‘Don’t eat it… too late.’ Judi shakes her head, these two are a disaster in waiting most days, ‘I would love to think one day they find their calling but for now, I believe the most we can hope for is abstract art.’ 

Russell smiles, the babies are no longer babies really, they are toddling about and have a wonder for the world he remembers his children filled with, both girls will have it easier than the Blood-children but they will need to find their own place in the clan to survive and thrive. ‘Can you imagine a few more of these little hellions running around, Quinn will no doubt be responsible for little terrors and I find it impossible to believe Rachel can birth quiet babies.’ Judi knows the stresses of Blood-children first hand and Russell will need to warn Quinn before the twin arrive, her and Rachel are in for a rocky ride.

Russell smiles still, he loves the little ones so much, he misses his children needing him like this, ‘Did you decide anything about those photos?’ He asks his mate.

‘I think she needs to know, I would want to know.’ Judi would be desperate for news if she was separated from her children like Shelby was.

‘Yes but Rando has made it clear, we cannot interfere he will not give them over to us.’ Russell needs Judi to remember he is powerless to change the laws for just two women no matter how much he would like to make Shelby happy.

Judi moves Ava back to the play mat before she defaces the furniture, ‘I know all that darling but we should tell her what we know, no secrets between us please.’ Shelby and Judi are settling into the relationship and Judi does not want to jeopardize this. 

‘OK, well let’s do it when we can all spend time together, I was hoping to take you both into the city for a night anyway so let’s use the alone time to thrash it all out.’ Russell has reservations but he is aware Judi is the best judge of character he knows. 


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn and Russell sit for the council meeting and vote that could change the future of the humans but it is someone closer to home who is on the agenda...

Russell and Quinn left very early for the council, today is the biggest day of Quinn’s life at the council as she tries to force through some changes that are long overdue. Sue is ready to spend another day searching for Holly but she is jaded as clues are few and far between, Quinn has asked Sam and Santana to help despite Sue’s determination to find Holly alone.

Shelby is in the Archive with Rachel who needs to check on the final couple of blessings the pregnancy must go through, so far she has been sung to (badly), ceremonially washed before Vampires (creepy) and had her hair brushed by most of the household which was just the last straw for the Diva. 

‘Did you go through all these blessings with us Mama?’ Rachel has spotted another ritual she needs Quinn to veto.

‘Depended on who had birthed you, the first three children were all promised to Vamp clans so they were cleansed to keep the blood pure, I was eating God awful foods all the way through.’ Shelby screws up her face, ‘The others including you were for Imp births so they do all these rituals once the child is born but I was always well fed when I was carrying a child to keep the baby healthy.’ 

Rachel feels sad her mother was used as a breeding machine for the clans, all of whom struggle to conceive naturally and healthily. ‘Will you have any more with Russell?’ Rachel asks innocently, she accepts her mother has a relationship with the Gyste and knows Claims are often expected to produce children.

Shelby looks scandalized then actually wonders, ‘I really don’t know, does he have other children then?’ 

‘Oh Yes of course he does,’ Rachel thought her mother knew this and isn’t aiming to stir up any trouble. ‘He is the head of a high-blood clan, Quinn refers to them as cousins often and I believe only one other claim has produced Blood-Gyste all the other Children are True-Gyste.’ 

‘Where are they?’ Shelby wonders if her time on the estate is going to be short.

‘On the Estate but on the other side of town, you know where the Country club is?’ Rachel asks and Shelby nods she understands. ‘OK well that side of town is still the estate lands and they all live there except I believe one family group who live in the City but I don’t know why they are different.’ Quinn never explained much but she did mention that this particular claim has a good job at the university and Russell did not want her to give it up to move out of the city or something like that.

Shelby is a little stunned, she has met Meryl who lives on the estate lands by the lake, she has no children with her but Russell introduced them and mentioned the boys she has are all in education. ‘I guess I need to ask Russell about his intentions.’ 

‘I think Judi put a stop to any more babies, Russell no longer needs to prove his command over the clan in that way and anyway, Judi wants Grandbabies now.’    
Rachel rubs her stomach where the little ones are wriggling again. 

Shelby returns to the shelves in the Archive a little uncomfortable in her role on the estate all of a sudden. 

 

‘One, two, three!’ Mike sings to the twins as they splash in the pool together.

Rebekah has Ava and is dipping her and spinning her much to the child’s delight, ‘Ready?’ She asks the squealing girl before bobbing her under the water quickly.

‘They love the water.’ Mike says, Iris is able to hold herself out of the water and he has just her hand to guide her. ‘It really calms them too, have you been bitten lately?’ 

‘No actually they are calming well.’ Rebekah is aware it is an odd milestone but the biting twins are becoming less unruly.

‘I would like more.’ Mike says without thinking.

‘Is that even possible, I mean who would you have them with?’ Rebekah is confused by Quinn and her anatomy. 

‘You?’ Mike half-jokes and smiles. 

 

Sebastian and Udan are in the outer room of the Gyste’s chambers, ‘No, No, No.’ Sebastian declares as Elliott comes out of the bedroom, ‘You are not coming out with us dressed like that!’ 

Udan sniggers, ‘Sir needs to project a serious aura.’ he thinks Elliott looks like a clown.

‘All of these are originals that Kurt designed, I am only supporting the family.’ Elliott asked Kurt to design something flamboyant for him.

‘Well go find one of those suits Kurt designed then, not this, this… Udan what the fuck is this look?’ Sebastian looks for help.

‘Circus ring-master?’ Udan asks.

‘Fuck you both!’ Elliott bounces out of the room and slams the door.

Udan is laughing again, ‘It isn’t funny.’ Sebastian is smiling too so doesn’t come across with any authority.

‘Sorry sir.’ Udan tries a serious face, ‘Shall I fetch some drinks for you?’ 

‘Please, then come back and join me I need your support or I will end up being accompanied to the press event with coco the fucking clown.’ Sebastian is despairing now.

 

Santana is reading the latest from the council, Quinn has Dilas sending regular updates to the house on the debates and the rulings. ‘Looks like Petra and Marcus are heading the main Vamp group, is she able to do that?’ 

‘I believe she is higher-blooded than Marcus so yes.’ Sam knows many things despite him never paying real attention. ‘I just wish this was all over now, the more I think about my declaration the more I get uptight and I know I know it all.’ 

‘You have this!’ Santana moves closer and leans into the Gyste, ‘Sammy you have earned this, you worked on this project, not Quinn, you made all the decisions you put this all together.’ Santana pulls him to snuggle knowing he needs to feel her. 

‘I couldn’t do it without you though.’ Sam knows he is not as smart as Quinn and Sebastian and that he relies on his mate too much sometimes.

‘No you couldn’t.’ Sam looks at her surprised she agreed with him, he was enjoying her stroking his ego. ‘This is how it will be Sammy, you and me and Dave are a team, we lean on and need each other in different ways and all those ways are OK, no-one is an island Sam and you complete me.’ Santana kisses him.

When they break from the kiss Sam has a cheeky grin, ‘I know a way we could join together?’ He wiggles his eyebrows. 

‘I bet you do, I have things to be getting on with go find Dave to stroke that ego of yours!’ Santana might have been persuaded but she has a thought on the Holly problem so she needs to find Sue. 

 

If the tension in the Council chambers could be bottled it would be highly explosive, all the main high-blood clans have attended for what is turning into a battle between the three main Gyste clans including Quinn and Russell and the Vamp clans minus two groups loyal to Rando. 

The Domus are responsible to enforce the laws the council decide on but have no say in the drama that is unfolding which is why Leroy and Jane though not sat together are both in the gallery watching the day unfold before them.

Leroy is a moderate, he believes in the rule of law but equally so if a Vamp commits a crime they should be punished the same as a human or an Imp. For many years Leroy has risen through the ranks of the Domus and he has lived by these fair rules and policies all throughout, he has seen many of the Domus come and go but he has remained stoic in his pursuit of his personal moral code. 

Leroy looks over to the area where the Vamp clans have been organizing their speakers, each one has stood and taken their three minutes to put across their points of view but the main clans are still to speak, Russell is in the chamber with Quinn doing similar. 

Jane is also watching closely she is feeding information back to the rebels, they have a plan of attack if the votes go against the humans again which Jane thinks will only make the Vampire clans more determined to undermine any easing of the restrictions placed on human movements. 

Currently, the section on free movement is being debated, the Vampirie leaders claim free movement is a privilege that humans must earn, they point out that there are groups of free humans and that they live quite happily in there ghettos. Of course all this is based on a High-blood Vamp opinion and has nothing to do with how humans really live. 

Quinn had proposed humans be allowed to travel freely on public transport and in vehicles they own without the need for express permission from their masters or their employers, Quinn is watching the argument unfold with interest.

Eugene Princeson is in the council today, the ceremonial king of the vampire clans he is rarely seen outside his own estate these days with his family standing for him on all the High-blood councils. 

Quinn knows he will never agree to free movement, he would have it law to enthrall all humans regardless of to whom they belong, he sees humans as nothing more than cattle that have no right to such luxuries as freedom or families of their own.

Rando makes his way back to his main family, his clan are the smallest in attendance today, even the Imp clans have turned up with all their named members and outnumber the young Vamp leader but he has the support of one of the most powerful Vamp clans and this will make Petra and Marcus nervous. Vampirie clans are known to fight over nothing, they hate to be seen as weak and it is considered a weakness to agree with another clan. All of this makes any decision a long drawn out process and Quinn will need to sit through all of it.

 

Russell returns to the clan seats and takes his next to Quinn, all their named family are here today in a show of strength many who Quinn has never met in person. ‘Is everyone in attendance?’ Quinn asks her father.

‘Yes all the seats are filled, there may be a few standing too.’ Russell could not be happier at the turn out for this debate, his views on humans and their future has been published for the Gyste to see and so far all the clans have agreed to support changes even if some are fuzzy on the details. 

‘The row to the left, they keep looking over to me and I swear someone is trying to read me.’ Quinn can feel the almost constant tingle the Gyste abilities produce in another Gyste, dependent on the strength of the Gyste they may or may not be able to block the reader. 

‘Probably, are you OK?’ Russell asks.

‘Yes, it is just annoying because we have so much to do without fighting amongst ourselves in this way.’ Quinn whispers, the family bond is no good in the chamber with so many High-Blood Gyste in attendance, Quinn can read the other clans and they will all have a reader in their ranks. 

‘It is Palous Nielson, he has several children with him today, I would imagine they are all skilled with their abilities.’ Russell smiles over to one woman who turns to him, she is sat with Palous and no doubt is a daughter or grand-daughter to the name of the clan. 

‘Should we have brought Sebastian?’ Quinn asks her father.

‘No, if this goes on into another few days he can come but let us not be hasty, we are trying to show how relaxed we are your brother will drain the room.’ Russell smiles at his daughter and she rolls her eyes, Sebastian’s weird stress reaction is only funny when you are not on the receiving end. 

Russell and Quinn look up as they are approached by a tall blonde Gyste Russell recognizes as Nicolai Davids, the right hand to Mikel the head of the Davids clan. 

‘Sir, Madam Quinn.’ He shows his submission to both the Fabray’s even though only Russell deserves the reverence. 

Russell stands with Quinn falling in line behind her father, Dilas and Phillip both jump to their feet to attend their Gyste if needed. ‘Nikolai, it must be twenty years since we last met in person.’ Russell holds out his hand and the smiling Gyste shakes with vigor.

‘Russell your writing has us all in a spin, my sisters are ready to change all our laws tomorrow.’ Nikolai smiles and motions to the remaining Davids’ sitting in their seats. 

‘If only it was that simple friend, let me introduce you to my daughter, Quinn.’ Russell turns to show Quinn behind him and Nikolai nods in submission to the woman. 

‘Ma’am, I was lucky enough to gather a recording of your talented Mate from a friend, I cried at the passion of her beautiful voice.’ Nikolai again lets his eyes fall to the floor in a show all Gyste make to their superiors. 

‘Thank you for your kind words, I am extremely proud of Rachel.’ Quinn takes the compliment, Gyste always compliment the human Mate of another Gyste it is seen as an insult to forget a Gyste is mated. 

‘My twin and I would be honored if the two of you would join us for a drink at the interval, our sisters will remain in the great hall.’ Nikolai is making sure Russell knows Nikolai and his twin want a private word. 

‘When the bell goes we will meet you with pleasure.’ Russell nods towards the smiling Mikel still sat with his sisters. 

‘Good, Madam Quinn, Sire.’ Nikolai bows his head one more time then retreats walking backward until Quinn and Russell sit so as not to insult them. 

 

Rando is in deep conversation with Simon Cosesile the head of the Colesile Vamp clan, Simon is a deeply spiritual Vamp who leads a clan of religious zealots. Rando managed to secure their favor though in return for permissions to build temples in their name on all of his outposts, Rando doesn’t care what they do in their worship as long as they backed his call for reform. 

‘And the Gyste woman, Quinn, she is with you one hundred percent?’ Simon again needs to be reassured the enigmatic Gyste is on his side. 

‘Yes, I have a good relationship with Quinn and she has my trust in all matters, she recently moved her troops to my border as a show of strength at my request.’ Rando tries again to settle the Vamps nerves. 

‘Would you introduce us?’ Simon stares at the tall blonde again, her aura is captivating. 

‘Of course.’ Rando follows his ally’s stare and shakes his head, another fool who believes Quinn Fabray can be tamed. 

The bell sounds to announce a break in the debate, the opposition to the motion have all had their time and made their stand so after the break the allies for reform will begin their speeches before the debate ends for the day and the vote begins in earnest. 

Russell and Quinn head for a small side room where Mikel and Nikolai are waiting for them, Russell knows the twins are keen to keep some of the old ways and he believes this is the reason for the meeting. 

Mikel greets the pair as they enter showing both his respect as Quinn also does to the name of a high-blood house.

‘Please let us all sit, I have had snacks brought in and drinks of course.’ Mikel motions for the Fabray pair to take a seat and Quinn sits closest to the other Gyste. 

‘Mikel, good to see you again but I am intrigued as to this little tete a tete.’ Russell opens the conversation in typical Gyste style, getting to the point. 

‘My brother and I have a request, an unusual one and we also would like to discuss the recent events at your estate.’ Nikolai answers Russell as they all pour drinks and settled back into their chairs.

‘Which of these matters do you wish to address first?’ Russell asks when he has drunk his first glass of sweet tea.

‘Your estate, I am led to believe through the Domus you have again had witchcraft found, that your land has fairy circles that are active on them, is this true?’ Like all Gyste Mikel hates witches and their spells.

‘It is, the circle we believe were made by Imps employed by us and that the magic they used killed them, at present, the circles are destroyed and the threat neutralized but the reason for them in the first place we are not yet sure.’ Quinn tells the pair as much truth as the Fabray clan will want to be known. 

‘No matter how hard I try Quinn I cannot get a read on your aura, it is rumored you have great powers.’ Mikel speaks to the young woman, ‘Would that be fair to say?’ 

‘I think it is fair to say I am learning more about myself every day.’ Quinn dodges the question.

‘OK, cards on the table.’ Mikel has had enough play acting. ‘The magic on your land was Sue, she has been working for years on weapons in secret for you and this one got out of hand, I know this is the case because you have a defector.’ 

Quinn and Russell both flinch inside at the knowledge Mikel has of their clan and its workings. ‘Who is the defector?’ Russell pushes the brothers for answers. 

Nikolai smiles, they have gotten under the skin of Russell, ‘Why don’t you take that knowledge from us?’ He challenges Quinn. 

‘Stop!’ Mikel says, his brother is playing a dangerous game with Quinn, if the old texts are to be believed she is far more dangerous than they can imagine and making her an enemy would be suicide. ‘Holly the courtesan to your sister Sue, she came to me about three months ago offering herself and spouting truths about you and the family, she seemed very distraught.’ 

Quinn looks stunned by this news, ‘But she has been on the estate since then?’ 

Mikel and Nikolai look to each other, ‘No I assure you she has been under my watchful eye since she arrived.’ Mikel has Holly under house arrest. 

Quinn lets the Gyste out and stops her counterparts dead,  _ Tell me, Mikel, what plans did you have for your prize.  _

Russell shivers, he hates the feeling of helplessness Quinn can impart on him. 

‘I have only honest intentions, I repeatedly tried to contact her mistress but received no answer to my inquiries, she has been treated fairly and only myself and my twin have been allowed to speak with her so none of your secrets have been passed on.’ Mikel has the blank look of a thrall. 

Russell and Quinn silently stare at each other,  _ What secrets has she imparted to you? _

‘The binding rings, she brought some of the chains with her we have been trying to recreate it but we are unable to.’ Mikel again speaks with no tone in his voice, ‘We need your help to recreate the chains, to save the children we have lost so many.’ 

Quinn shakes herself out of the trance and closes her eyes, ‘Does she always do that when she is thinking?’ Nikolai asks as he looks to the Gyste unaware of her digging about in his brain.

‘So.’ Quinn opens her normal eyes and sums it all up, ‘You have Holly but we believe she is on our estate, we have a magic problem she was involved in.’ 

‘Yes.’ Nikolai is getting a headache it is probably the stale air in the great hall, ‘It would appear we were not as cautious as we thought.’ 

‘Return her to my sister, as her mistress she should decide what is to happen to Holly.’ Russell lays out his demand.

‘Agreed, she will be brought back this very day, you can figure out her true intentions in all this.’ Mikel doesn’t care about Holly either way. ‘We want to know more about the chains she claims give the Gyste control in adolescence.’ 

‘We will confer with the rest of the family on this, the true nature of the chains is as yet untested and so we are reluctant to share them without knowing the full extent of their power but I agree to share testing with you at our facility, the chains do not leave the Fabray Inc. building until we are satisfied they are safe to use.’ Quinn strikes a bargain, the Davids family have three sets of twins nearing their first ascension and Quinn is keen to know how the rings her aunt fashioned may help. 

‘We will follow your lead on this Quinn, you will have no trouble from us.’ Nikolai gives his word to the rival clan.

‘Good, we have an agreement then, the break will be over we should return to the chambers.’ Russell draws a very tense meeting to a close with both parties feeling they have some way to go before they meet in the middle on anything. 

 


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Santana falls headlong into the search for Holly but when Sue finally discovers her courtesan she realizes she may lose the blonde after-all...

Rachel wanders through the house looking for Santana, she knows she is here somewhere she can feel her in the bond but the Succubus is allusive. 

‘Miss.’ Emmett comes up behind his mistress with a whisper. 

‘Have you seen Santana or Sam today?’ She asks the Eunuch. 

‘No, nothing from them all day, I assume Master Sam is still with the Remus choosing Santana a Eunuch.’ Emmett heard Dilas and Phillip this morning finalizing the choices for Sam’s household. 

‘Oh, but Santana isn’t with him?’ Rachel feels her friend again closer this time and begins to move in that direction with Emmett in tow.

‘Miss, have you had lunch, Mistress says you need regular meals and you are late to eat, I have made the soup you like and Dilas left fresh bread with little chicken bites you are to have.’ Emmett has no idea where they are going but he is on a schedule and hates to deviate from his orders.

‘Yes, later.’ Rachel isn’t listening to him, she can feel Santana almost next to her now but where is she?

  
  


In the city the press gathers for the opening of the first Fabray fashion store, ‘Kurt Designs’  is a large open space with the high-end of fashion designed almost entirely by the Gyste, supported by Sebastian and Santana or course.

‘Blaine, stop fussing, everything is perfect!’ Kurt brushes the hand of his claim away again. 

‘Kurt.’ Sebastian appears with Elliott close behind and to Kurt’s surprise Udan smiling. ‘How did we do? Is this just perfect for you I do hope you approve?’ Sebastian followed Kurt’s requests for the store closely with only minor changes.

‘Honestly Bastian it is all perfect, even the window is just how I imagined, if all the stores are half as perfect we will be overwhelmed.’ Kurt thought Sebastian would have ignored him completely but was surprised when he arrived from the airport only an hour ago to see all his designs were displayed to his instructions. 

‘Good, Elliott let me introduce you to Kurt, my cousin, and his claim Blaine.’ Elliott smiles brightly but does not reach for either of the men.

‘Elliott, well you look amazing in that suit, Bastian thank you for such a dapper model.’ Kurt nods to the Gyste and offers a wink to him also. 

‘Udan, fetch us all some drinks, they have the green tea you like I had them prepare it special for you.’ Sebastian sends his now settled Eunuch off for refreshments. 

‘I see many things have changed since I left for Europe, Bastian it is so good to see you happier.’ Kurt says to his cousin as Sebastian places Elliott’s hand in his and calms the claim. 

‘I have never been more blessed Kurt, Quinn and Sam have given me a new meaning to my life and I assure you I have grasped it with both hands.’ Sebastian smiles again and Kurt can see the genuine nature all over the Gyste’s face. 

 

Santana cannot believe she is lost in the fucking house, she has lived here now for years and thought she knew every inch of the place but here she is in a dark room scrambling about for the light.

‘Hello!’ She tries calling out, usually, a Eunuch appears out of nowhere to deal with her cries but she can hear nothing. ‘Fuck it!’ 

Santana turns again to where she came in and can see nothing, this is ridiculous she just entered the room how can she not find the door. 

‘Hello! Hey is somebody there?’ She calls out again louder this time but still nothing and her voice sounds weird in this room like she is in a vacuum or something the sound is not moving about or bouncing off the walls. 

She tries again this time she bends as she moves about looking for a wall or a door or a window in the room she was sure is part of Sue’s chambers, as she crouches she sees a small slither of light and crawls to it, as she does so the light does not feel closer and this thought freaks her out a little.

‘Fucking place, fucking crazy Gyste and their stupid….’ Santana falls through the floor and the wind is knocked from her lungs as she hits the ground again and is thrown into a brightly lit room.

‘The fuck..’ She gasps out as she spins around looking to find her bearings, the room is small and clean with a bed, couch, small table, and tv on the wall but empty of people. ‘What is going on!’ 

The door to the room is thrown open and a stranger stares at the Succubus kneeling on the floor, ‘Who are you?’ the stranger says.

‘Who the fuck are you and where the fuck am I?’ Santana allows her nature to come through and faces her foe with blazing blue eyes ready to fight her way to freedom.

 

Rachel stops dead, ‘She is gone.’ 

‘Gone Miss?’ Emmett is confused now, how is Santana gone and gone from where.

‘Gone, no longer in the house, gone from my senses.’ Rachel is still cryptic.

‘I do not understand Miss, how is she gone when you said she was here?’ Emmett is aware Rachel is not in full control of her Gyste senses and Dilas warned him the pregnancy may make her a little erratic but he is blown away by the happenings today. 

‘Can we contact Quinn?’ Rachel asks the Eunuch.

Emmett thinks carefully, ‘Miss, unless you are in danger and if you are you need to tell me, we are not to disturb the Mistress in council today, should I call for your mother?’ Emmett struggles to think who to ask for with Rachel making little sense. 

‘I need… something.’ Rachel lets the words float away as she thinks, ‘Sebastian, call Sebastian to have him come right away.’ 

Emmett can do that, he is a safe bet in all this, ‘Right away Miss.’ 

 

At the door the intruder stands staring at a blue-eyed devil raging at him, he tries to remember how to deal with such an event but is coming up blank. ‘My name is Maxim, I am Eunuch to the high-house Davids and I demand you explain your presence!’ Maxim tries to sound authoritative but he does not feel very certain of himself.

‘Where am I fuckwit!’ Santana has no idea what this guy is talking about, high-house who talks like that.

‘Maxim!’ he tries again.

‘What?’ Santana asks.

‘My name is Maxim, who is fuckwit?’ 

‘Are you fucking kidding me!’ Santana has had enough now.

Suddenly two more men arrive, the shouting and foul language alerting them to a problem in the Masters private quarters.

‘Maxim, what is going on, who is she.’ A tall young man with dirty blonde hair asks in a calm tone belaying his shock.

‘I do not know who she is or how she got into the Master’s quarters.’ Santana looks again at the room she found her self in and a sense of dread fills the Succubus. ‘This morning when I attended to the room it was empty, I changed the linen and cleaned and of course I…’

‘OK, OK!’ The smaller man shakes his head, the Eunuch will go through his whole day if they don’t move him along. He turns to Santana and regards her carefully, she is very beautiful perhaps the Master had company last night. ‘Miss, did you spend the night with my father?’ 

In her usual flippant manner Santana answers with bite, ‘Is your father Samuel Fabray?’ She looks about the room at the others and raises her eyes to them in question, ‘No, well then I didn’t spend the night with your daddy!’ She shouts and the three men flinch.

‘Miss, as much as I would love to get to know you better I think you need to explain clearly and quickly how you found yourself in the chambers of the head of the Davids Gyste clan.’ Mikel’s youngest twins are true-Gyste and his favorites by far, both bare a resemblance to their father but do not look much alike as twins.

Santana realizes she is in a whole heap of trouble now, ‘I am sorry.’ She tries to show them some respect, ‘My name is Santana Lopez-Fabray, I am the mate to Samuel Fabray, Russell Fabray’s eldest son and hand to Quinn Fabray.’ Santana decides to drop as many names as she can to get her out of this.

‘So how did you get into our father’s chambers?’ Nile the taller twin asks. 

‘I swear I honestly do not know, do you have a Guru on hand?’ Santana will throw herself at the mercy of the family.

‘Maxim, fetch the Guru.’ Nate tells the confused Eunuch. ‘Miss Santana, please let us sit in the outer room until the Guru returns, perhaps you would like refreshment?’ In typical Gyste style, Nate offers drinks to a guest and tries to take the tension from the situation.

‘Thankyou, I need to sit I think.’ Santana feels a little lightheaded all of a sudden, her brain cannot fathom what is going on. 

 

Emmett hangs up the phone to Dilas with his ears ringing from Dilas chewing him out, Dilas is angry he did not deal with this himself and instead called Dilas from the council chamber to tell Emmett the obvious solution, tell Sam to deal with his own mate!

‘Miss, Dilas suggests Samuel deals with this and not you, he says Samuel needs to know what is going on and decide for himself how to proceed, Mistress Quinn is not to be disturbed unless you or the babies are in danger and Dilas says if that is the case I should put as much distance between me and the estate as possible because he will personally pull my balls off and feed them to me.’ 

Rachel smiles at the look of horror on Emmett’s face, ‘Don’t worry when Dilas first attended Quinn he made mistakes too, I guess Dilly is right though let’s find Sam and tell him what we know, he can find his Mate if she is missing.’ 

Emmett shrinks back a little but Rachel pushes his chin up like Quinn would to Dilas when he doubted himself, ‘I am safe and well Emmett, you have made sure of that and Quinn asks no more of you than to keep me safe, now you go prepare my lunch and have it brought to my chambers I will speak with Sam.’ 

‘Yes Miss, thank you Miss.’ Emmett is smiling again.

 

In the Archive, Shelby is still reading, this time she is pouring over the claim rights and how a Gyste should raise a family. In the old days, all the workings of a great family clan like the Fabray’s were documented by scribes, every little thing they did organized and repeated to improve the chances of success. 

Shelby is getting hungry but she wants to finish the last paragraph of this book when the air in the room shifts and the temperature drops a few degrees. 

Standing in the corner near the closed off section of the Archive is Holly Holiday, tall blonde and beautiful but obviously not expecting to see Shelby sat in the room. ‘Aw fuck it!’ The blonde says, ‘Now how are we going to deal with this.’ 

‘Sorry? Deal with what? Where did you come from? Have you been in the sealed Archive all this time?’ Shelby is aware the whole estate has been looking for the Imp courtesan to Sue Fabray. 

‘Now honey, where I came from, is a mystery and where I am going is none of your beeswax!’ Holly moves closer to the human and stares intently at the problem, ‘Russell claimed you didn’t he?’ Holly asks.

‘Yes, why does that matter?’ Shelby is feeling fear now, the look in the eye of the Imp says Holly is not to be trusted.

‘It matters because it makes you special…’ Holly moves closer again but is distracted by a loud noise.

Shelby turns so quickly at the noise she falls from her chair and is left staring up at Sue, dressed in army fatigues and with two of her children behind her dressed the same the Gyste is holding what looks like an antique elephant gun. 

‘Now now Shells, what are you doing down there, May help the lady up.’ One of the cheerios rushes to help Shelby back into her chair and Sue gets on the radio, ‘Unit two this is red dog leader, over.’ A crackled answer can be heard, ‘The target is secured I repeat the target is secured, stand down and return to base.’ Sue is obviously instructing someone to stop looking for Holly.

Shelby once seated can see the Imp laying on the floor just a few feet away, she is covered in a blue light that resembles a net, ‘What did you do to her?’ She asks the Gyste.

‘Don’t worry she is fine, she will be a little sore tomorrow but that is only half the story for her, Russell can fill you in later but for now, we need to get her someplace safe before she hurts herself.’ Sue looks down at the woman with what Shelby thinks could be a tear in her eye but the powerful Gyste would never show such a weakness. 

 

Sam has no idea what Rachel is talking about but he heads for the part of the house she claims Santana’s aura disappeared and with Dave looks for something to explain the little Diva’s rambling. 

‘This is Sue’s wing, should we really be here?’ Dave is nervous, the tall Gyste gives him the eye sometimes and it makes him shiver like Quinn.

‘If this is where Rachel said San ended up it does no harm to look for her, I cannot feel anything though, it is like she is in town or something.’ Sam muses and decides to try a door. 

The door leads to a cupboard with linen and some weird coats hung in rows but much of this area is weird, Sue used to dress the cheerios as naval officers when they were younger so Sam is used to costumes. ‘Nothing, unless I feel she is in danger I am not sure I know what to do, I will ask Remus to inform Sue there is something weird happening but I am not worried about her are you?’ 

Dave shakes his head, he doesn’t have the connection to the Succubus Sam has but he feels stress sometimes when she is in a bad mood and for now he cannot think anything has happened, ‘Tell Remus, maybe we can go look down near the lake, some days she likes to go there to think.’ 

‘Good plan.’ Sam is fine leaving this place, it’s not like Santana just disappeared anyway, is it!!!

 

The Guru called to deal with an intruder on the Master’s floor is surprised to be greeted by a young Succubus sat calmly waiting for him, she is very beautiful and the idea the Master had her in his bed is not out of the question but still highly unlikely.

‘Miss, I am Darren the Guru for the Davids family.’ Darren holds out a hand to the woman and is met with an icy stare.

‘Do you not know you never touch the Mate to a high-blood Gyste!’ Santana is shocked he is so stupid.

‘I beg your pardon Ma’am, I was not aware this was the case.’ Darren looks to the floor if what the woman says is true her mate may well demand a punishment for his lack of etiquette.

‘Wait, you were serious about that?’ Nile asks Santana.

‘Of course, I was being serious, what is wrong with you people are you fucking retarded or something, call Samuel Fabray now and he will sort this out.’ Santana might have enjoyed the tea she was given and the little cakes are an almond treat but she just wants to get home now and work out what the hell is going on. 

‘There is no need for profanity, I am sure the master of the Fabray clan does not allow such behavior.’ Darren hates this woman now, she is obviously a low blood and as such he knows the Fabray clan must have been desperate to mate her into their clan.

‘Whatever, get me Sam on the phone now!’ Santana is firm with her words.

‘Nate give Santana your phone, call Samuel to let us sort this mess out.’ Nile is keen to see who she calls.

Santana takes the phone then takes a deep breath, she only knows the house number by heart Sam’s number along with all the others is saved on her cell which she doesn’t have with her, she can only hope Remus answers to get a quick resolution to this mess. 

On the third ring Santana’s prayers are answered and a very gruff sounding Remus answers, ‘Remus, it is Santana, I need you to put me through to Sam immediately.’ 

Remus is confused, why the girl doesn’t call her mate herself but he calls up to Sam’s chamber anyway, ‘There is no answer, do you want to leave a message?’ Remus just spots Judi and he wants to talk to her.

‘No I don’t want to leave a message, is anyone there?’ Santana needs a family member to sort this out. 

‘Wait one minute, the Mistress is here.’ Remus goes off to catch up to Judi leaving Santana wondering which Mistress he means all the while hoping it is not Sue.

‘Hello, Santana where are you?’ Judi takes the phone confused by the rambling Remus. 

‘According to my hosts the Davids Estate, I was looking for Sue took a wrong turn into a linen closet and ended up in Narnia!!’ Santana knows this sounds nuts.

Judi thinks about that statement carefully, She has just been informed Sue found Holly in the Archive and was heading there to see if Shelby was OK, ‘Right who is in charge there?’ 

‘Which one of you wants to speak with Judi Fabray about all this?’ Santana points the phone towards the twins.

Nate takes the phones, ‘Madam Fabray there seems to be some kind of misunderstanding here.’ 

‘Yes, yes, well as My Mate and no doubt your Master…’ Nate interrupts Judi.

‘Our father.’ he says.

‘OK, your father, as they are in chambers at the high-council debating the future of the world I think it best not to bother them don’t you?’ Judi decides to go for pissed off.

‘Yes ma’am of course.’ Nate backs down, Judi Fabray is a woman to be listened to just like his mother is. 

‘Good so have Santana escorted back to our estate and when my Mate returns he can deal with this with your father, I see no reason for us to muddy the waters by delaying Santana’s safe return.’ Judi hopes she has bluffed this well enough. 

‘What does she say?’ Nile asks his brother.

‘To return her now and let father deal with it when he is finished at the council.’ Nate knows this will mean him losing face to the Succubus but Judi Fabray is higher up the social ladder than he is and he would prefer not to upset Russell Fabray.

‘Do it, send her home with Maxim and just get rid of her, father can find out what she was doing in his own time.’ Nile wants nothing to do with this either if their mother knows Mikel had a Succubus in his bed she will have all of their balls for earrings. 

‘Madam Fabray we shall have a Eunuch accompany Santana back to your estate immediately.’ He smiles at Santana but she knows it is false and just smirks.

‘That would be best for all concerned.’ Judi agrees.

 

Sam and Dave lay in the sunshine by the lake, the views here are glorious and for once Sam has to agree with Santana the Estate is an amazing place to live. 

‘Samuel!’ Judi calls out to her son laying by the water with his claim.

‘Mama? What is it?’ He stands and walks towards her.

‘Santana!’ Judi calls to him, she has just spoken with Rachel so she knows Rachel told Sam something was wrong earlier and here he is laying around with his claim like he is on holiday!

‘Yeah I don’t know where she went, she left her phone here which is a little unusual but maybe she has gone into town.’ Sam seems unconcerned with her whereabouts but the slap that his mother lays across his face wakes him up.

‘What the…’ Sam grabs his cheek which is on fire and holds back the furious Gyste who is stirring, ‘What was that for?’ 

‘Santana is at the estate of the Davids clan, she was stuck there looking for you to help her but you are sunning yourself with Dave by the lake without a care in the world, honestly Samuel I know we raised you better than this!’ Judi makes an about-turn and walks back towards the house.

‘Who are the Davids?’ Dave asks Sam.

‘I think they are a Gyste clan like us, why would she go there?’ Sam is still rubbing his face, he knows the sting is not half as bad as the beating his mate will lay on him when she gets back, ‘We should go make sure everything is tidy for when she returns, I think she might be in a mood.’ Sam understates the problem.

 

In the car with Santana is Maxim, he has been deadly quiet all the way so far and Santana is getting a little antsy over the lack of conversation so she tries to get one started with an easy question, ‘How long have you been with the clan Maxim?’ 

‘Three years Miss.’ Maxim remain polite.

‘Were they the first clan you served?’ Santana couldn’t really care but the silence is killing her.

‘They were Miss.’ Maxim is still young and building his name in the household, he hopes this mess doesn’t hold him back. 

‘Listen Maxi-boy, this journey is going to seem much longer if we sit staring at the scenery so how about you drop the Eunuch crap and we have a get to know each other session, on our estate we all talk freely.’ Santana cannot bare the atmosphere.

‘We are free to talk too, our clan is very liberal.’ Maxim defends the Davids family.

‘Good so, tell me about you or ask me something you really want to know!’ Santana hopes he kicks into action soon, according to her watch they have two hours left together. 

Maxim regards her carefully, ‘Is it true you are Incubi?’ He wonders how that happened.

‘Well-done Maxi, you hit the jackpot, this story is a doozy…’ Santana begins with her entering the clan and Maxim stares wide-eyed as she tells how she was the lover to two high-blood twins.

 

Rachel and Shelby look up when Judi returns to the chambers, she was not gone long Rachel thought she would be a while yet.

‘Bloody fool of a son!’ She rants as she shuts the door. ‘He is going to need more than a thrall to save him from Santana when she gets back!’ 

‘Is she on her way now?’ Shelby asks, she is still catching up on the day with Rachel. 

‘Yes, Nile called to let Remus know she is being escorted by a Eunuch and driven by two Imps.’ Judi liked the manners of the boys she spoke with if only her children were so easy to tame. 

‘Did they say how long, I looked and according to the map about three hours from the main house to this.’ Rachel assumes Santana found herself in the main house from the way Judi explained it.

‘Oh I forgot to ask, anyway she is safe now and when she returns Sue can explain what the hell has been going on, the mess in the Archive and Santana falling through a door to another dimension, can you imagine how Quinn and Russell will react when they find out.’ Judi is glad she won’t have to deal with her daughter, Quinn is worse than Russell for lecturing sometimes. 

‘I am not looking forward to Quinn’s homecoming quite so much now!’ Rachel hoped they might lay together but with this disaster to sort out Quinn will not be in the mood for sure. 

Shelby can see the look on Rachel’s face and smiles, ‘You know you could deal with these urges yourself!’ She jokes.

Judi laughs at this, ‘Russell gets furious about things like that, he says he is responsible for those pleasures.’ 

‘Quinn is the same, I am sure she spends alone time in the shower though!’ Rachel stares into the distance, the idea of Quinn with her hard cock in her hand has the Diva daydreaming.

‘She is gone now!’ Shelby motions to her daughter.

Judi just laughs at the pregnant mate, she remembers those days when all she could do was wait for Russell to return so she could finally scratch the itch she could never quite reach alone. 

  
  


‘Wait, so you and Quinn have always been friends?’ Maxim is amazed at the closeness of all the Fabray clan.

‘Pretty much, we have a love-hate thing going on, Quinnie has always been a cold-hearted bitch but I like that about her you know.’ Santana begins another story about Quinn and her adventures. 

Maxim nods along and gasps in awe at some of the misadventures the Fabray children get up to.

‘The master would never allow his children to be so free-spirited.’ Maxim knows Mikel has a tight reign over his children and this is part of the problem.

‘Russell is a great man, I really mean that he knows just how to get the best out of all of us and if that means letting us make our own mistakes if we learn from them he is happy.’ Santana knows she would have never been happy in a clan with strict rules of conduct.

‘I mainly deal with the twins you met, Nile and Nate are the only ones still living in the main house, the others all made their households elsewhere on the Davids lands or estates.’ Maxim loves the old house and all the ornamental gardens, he can spend hours just wandering exploring all the exotic plants that the clan owns. 

‘I wonder sometimes if Sam and I should make our own way but the estate is large enough for us all and Judi would be horrified when we have children to be kept from them.’ Santana also knows if she and Sam were to move out they would never have the number of staff the main house has and she is used to being waited on now. 

‘Will you be with child soon?’ Maxim asks.

Santana lets out a loud laugh at the thought, ‘Gods no, no I am not in a hurry for that anyway Quinn has provided two more for Judi and so, for now, the four little terrors should keep her going.’ Santana hopes she can put off children for a few years and Sam can always take another claim to breed with.

 

Remus is alerted by a noise coming from the hallway, Kurt and Sebastian are laughing loudly with their claims close behind laughing also. 

‘Sebastian, there has been some trouble while you were away, Miss Rachel asks you attend her, she is with your mother in the sunroom.’ Remus likes the newer version of Sebastian so much more than the spoilt brat who returned just a few months ago. 

‘Right.’ Sebastian becomes serious quickly, ‘Elliott go with Udan and change for dinner, wait for me.’ Sebastian kisses his claim and sends him on his way.

'Remus can you have someone empty the car, Kurt has all his luggage with him.’ Remus nods to the young Gyste and smiles in greeting to Kurt.

‘We will go unpack and prepare for dinner Bastian if you need us we will be in my rooms.’ Kurt is keen to settle back into the house and find out what his father has been up to. 

 

‘Seriously they all do it!’ Shelby and Rachel laugh at the latest story Judi has about the Gyste and their ways when Sebastian blusters through the door.

‘Rach? Are you ok?’ He moves quickly to her side looking for signs of damage to his sister-in-law.

Judi looks on surprised Sebastian is in such a tizzy, ‘Stop fussing son, she is fine!’ 

‘Oh, ok, here let me feel the babies?’ Rachel smiles at Sebastian’s request and places his hand over the baby bump, Quinn told him he could only touch with Rachel’s permission and despite him being almost always worried when he is near Rachel he has honored the request. 

‘See, sleeping I think.’ Rachel has the biggest smile as she always does when talking about her babies. 

‘What was wrong then?’ Sebastian had been told Rachel needed him and of course in Quinn’s absence he is Rachel’s protector, the idea makes him puff himself up proudly.

Shelby watches Sebastian posturing and wonders what goes on in his head, ‘I lost Santana but she is on her way back now.’ Rachel simplifies the problem.

‘You lost the succu-slut?’ Rachel nods, ‘I might have let her stay lost, the wardrobe alone is worth inheriting.’ Sebastian is mentally going through her shoes.

‘Well, she is on her way home now.’ Judi sees her son thinking this time and smiles, ‘You will need to wait to get your hands on her knicker!’ 

‘Mother!’ Sebastian makes a shocked face and holds his chest dramatically, ‘Her shoes maybe but who wants soiled panties!’ 

‘Ew gross.’ Rachel screws up her face, ‘She was looking for Sue and somehow ended up in another clan’s house.’ 

‘A portal? Where was she?’ Sebastian knows Russell forbade the family going to the wooded areas. 

‘In Sue’s chambers, seems that Holly has been using them to travel about without being noticed by the family.’ Rachel knows Quinn is going to pitch a fit over this news when she gets back.

Sebastian takes a seat, ‘That is why we hadn’t noticed her leaving or at the Colonial building, this is huge.’ Sebastian thinks for a moment, ‘This is like time travel or something, I wonder if Quinn will let me have a go.’ 

Judi shakes her head, ‘Sebastian you are insane, you would willingly go through a magic portal?’ 

‘Mother, imagine for one second what it would be like to revisit the second kingdom days, the jewels on the walls the gold-encrusted ornaments just hanging about the old estates, imagine being able to return to the moment the Gyste decided to join the great war, or to be there when Lucas Fabray was at his most powerful, no mother no-one would turn down such an opportunity.’ Sebastian is back in his dream world again.

‘I thought it was a witches portal, I thought you can only use them to travel to another fairy circle.’ Shelby is confused now, did Sue actually build a time machine.

‘Sebastian is letting his imagination take him.’ Judi says, ‘Holly has used magic in the house and that is the main issue to deal with not where these portals can take us, illegally I might add.’ 

 

When Sue was a girl in the seminary learning to control her tempers she remembers there being a young Gyste in the room next to hers, Lucy or Lisa or something and when Sue would see her being taken to the Guru she saw actual madness in her eyes, haunted and scared at the same time as being hyper-aware.

Holly stares back at Sue with that same look, either the Magic has taken her senses or she has had some kind of breakdown, either way, Sue knows the future for her Courtesan is bleak.

‘Makes sure nothing personal is brought to her, she is to be given nothing not even food unless personally overseen by me do I make myself clear.’ Sue knows Holly has no magic in the cell now but needs to assure herself there will be no mistakes.

‘Yes ma’am.’ The Imp says and returns to guard the cell door.

‘What have you done my love.’ Sue asks to no-one as she leaves the cellars. 


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Moments in time can be measured in the achievements of the powerful and the mistakes of the foolish.' Quinn would be wise to remember the old Gyste proverb...

The council chambers are a hive of activity, the voting is in fifteen minutes and Quinn believes they might just do it, the Imp clans seem determined to do against the Vamp clans this time. 

In the gallery, Jane has watched in amazement as the Imp clans pledged their votes to carry the travel motion. If this works out all free humans and some claimed or owned humans will be able to use a special uncensored transport system and travel wherever they wish without the need for permits.

Her finger is poised on her phone to alert the rebels to the results, Quinn Fabray may well have just allowed them the freedom to attack the clans with impunity. 

Leroy retakes his seat, he has just met with Russell to discuss the fallout from the vote should they win, both foresee trouble, the lower vamp clans, and single turned vamps will possibly use this as an excuse to riot and the Domus is ready to put his people on high alert.

 

Rando has laid out his cards with this vote, the other clans now know he is against them and he is possibly isolated now beyond anything he could envisage. He has pledged to give the humans in his farms their freedom, to offer them all work and housing and safety on his lands in return for their loyalty to his clan. The other High-blood Vamp families are disgusted at the idea and will refuse any of these newly freed humans rites to travel in their lands but this vote may well force the hand of the clans. 

‘Sire, the last of the High-blood families have returned, we are waiting on one Gyste family and the Imps to return.’ Rando is updated by his most loyal thrall, he only wishes he could grant him free will but a Vampire cannot give back once that is taken away. 

‘Thank you, go to my chambers and wait for me, keep safe and have the others who are not needed for my personal service sent back to the estate immediately.’ Rando is anticipating fallout from the vote and his thralls and servants would be easy targets for the other clans.

‘Yes Sir, sire may I ask a question.’ 

‘Go ahead.’ Rando wishes he could take things he has done back when he looks into the dead eyes of his thrall.

‘Will we be safe on the estate?’ 

‘Yes, on our estate we are safe my friend.’ Rando watches as the thrall takes his words at face value and leaves to carry out his duties.

 

‘Where are the Imps?’ Mira Davids asks her brother, ‘All the others are now here why are they not here?’ 

Mikel Davids looks to the empty Imp gallery, ‘I hope this is a show of defiance from them sister.’ Mikel thinks they may be holding up the vote to prove they can.

‘If the numbers are correct and every clan is here with all their seat on the council filled we will win by twelve votes if the Vamp clans betray us this will be wiped out with only one of them defecting.’ Nikolai has had the heads counted several times and goes through the possible outcomes again.

‘We are trusting this to Vamps?’ Andrea asks, she is the youngest of the four family names and usually only votes once or twice a decade. 

‘We have to sister.’ Mikel follows the Eunuch walking back to Quinn, his face is stern and Quinn remains a closed book as he whispers something in her ear but she does look up to the gallery as he moves away from her. Mikel is unable to see who Quinn looked to but knows she possibly has an exit strategy in place.

 

The thrall appears back at Rando’s side and the Vamp is annoyed, ‘I told you to go wait..’ 

‘Sire, I am sorry, Miss Quinn sends word to you though.’ 

Rando refuses to look at the Gyste not wanting anyone to know they are in contact, ‘Go on.’ 

‘Sire she has moved her troops to the southern border and has had another regiment made available in the city, she sends word that she will personally have you safely taken back to the estate, she says to tell you that you will need to be vigilant after the vote as to the victor goes the spoils.’ 

Rando smirks, he knows now Quinn has secured all the votes they need and that this is her way of saying she will honor her pledge and stick by him for his support. ‘Thank you, now go and wait for me in safety, today is a momentous day.’ Rando cannot help the smile that fills his face for all to see including Petra Jones-Rey.

 

Sue sits alone in her room with the curtains drawn, she has spent the last twenty-four hours with Holly getting to the bottom of how bad her betrayal has been. Russell and possibly Quinn will make the final decision on her fate but the madness she is under is never going to be fixed. 

Sue has a box before her of momentos, she and Holly have traveled the world in their time together and this box holds all the keepsakes they treasured, Sue remembers every one of them like they were yesterday and can feel every moment the pair shared together. 

When Sue was a child her mother told stories of human love and of how love can render even the strongest of men weak by its strength, Sue knows she is Gyste and that those emotions are alien to her but she loved Holly. She gave the Imp all of her and in return expected just loyalty, Holly may well have broken the heart of the Gyste but as Sue’s father always told her, a Gyste needs not a heart nor a lover to overcome.

 

When the final votes are announced silence fills the council chambers, the high-blood Vamp clans are stunned into silence by the result and the remaining clans amazed they have overthrown a three hundred-year-old law finally.

Petra and Marcus stare towards Quinn and her clan, the outcome of the vote means all the free humans the Fabray clan currently care for can visit family and travel to their homeland without being forced to justify their every step. The ruling also means the Fabray’s and the Af-Mason’s just scored the contract to run a new transport venture possibly worth millions a year too. 

‘I will see that bitch burn for this!’ Marcus shouts across the chamber at Quinn but the Gyste remains unmoved by his ranting. The Jones-Rey clan are about to find out just how tied they are to all the Imp clans they have exploited over the years and how much power the little people can wield when they band together as one.

 

Mikel and Nikolai hug each other and then their sisters, the clan may have missed out on some of the plus points but they are the winners for the raw materials needed to supply the Fabray factories will come from them. 

‘Sir!’ Mikel is interrupted by his personal Eunuch, ‘The news from the house is strange, there seems to have been an intruder from the Fabray clan found in your personal chambers, Judi Fabray insisted she be returned to their estate and your sons buckled to her demands.’ 

Mikel looks towards Quinn and Russell, it would seem Dilas is telling Quinn the same news, ‘Have Niles call me as soon as we leave the chamber.’ 

‘Why would Quinn betray our word.’ Nikolai asks his brother thinking Quinn has a hand in this.

‘Let us not jump to conclusions, Quinn is still an unknown force and today will be a celebration not the prelude to war.’ Mikel is aware of his twin’s need to prove himself at all costs but against Quinn Fabray and without all the facts Mikel knows he doesn’t stand a chance.

 

‘How the hell did Santana get to their estate?’ Russell booms, once the back-slapping and grumbling in the chamber calmed down Quinn and Russell exited for Quinn’s offices. ‘It must be a seven-hour round trip!’ 

Quinn remains silent, thinking in her calm manner, Dilas observes her in the bond she is calm and thoughtful.

‘Dilly, set up a meeting with the Davids and the Neilson’s for the end of the week, privately ask Mikel to allow us some time to investigate this and remind him of our luncheon.'

‘Yes ma’am.’ Dilas is out the door in a flash.

‘Santana couldn’t have traveled there through conventional means father, which means she somehow either found Holly or was found by Holly, call Sue to ask her what is happening, we should leave as soon as Dilas returns I need to be with Rachel.’ Quinn steps up and makes the case for the family without consulting her father and he is both proud and a little scared of her calm demeanor.

‘Come on we have been away from the women we love for too long, it has been a while since I pulled all-nighters like the last few days.’ Russell collects his things to leave for home, he is proud of Quinn she has the courage to stand up for her beliefs and to fight for those who have no voice of their own.

 

‘Next they will want seats on the council for them, I mean how is this all to end!’ Marcus is still ranting about the results of the vote.

Petra, however, is looking at a different way of scuppering this new unholy alliance between the clans, she has had all the files brought to her that contain Imp agreements, she will begin by making all the Imp clans bankrupt for betraying her this way.

 

When Jane comes back to the Domus she is surprised to see Andrew in her chambers, he is a well established Domus who has never sought the high office instead he prefers to stay mid-level probably because he is lining his pockets with bribes.

‘Andrew did we have a meeting?’ Jane asks innocently she is aware she has nothing for the day.

‘Not as such but I thought I would take this opportunity to stop by, with the latest vote in the council things are on a knife-edge.’  Andrew is a snake, he never has the interests of the Domus in mind and this is why Jane hates him.

Despite Jane betraying the Domus by working with the rebels, she believes her work is righteous and so she justifies her betrayal of the oaths, ‘Do you have intel to back this up or is this just one of you bones talking to you?’ 

‘My dear you may scoff but at this very moment the High-blood Vamp clans are planning their revenge for what they see as an Imp rebellion, they are unable to touch the Gyste, no they are too afraid to hit out at the Gyste clans.’ Andrew crosses his legs and repositions himself to lean closer. ‘The Vamps never accepted the Imp inclusion on the high councils, Imps to most of the old families are nothing more than humans with some mutated DNA so they are preparing to ruin the larger of the Imp clans as a punishment for this.’ Andrew is part of the old guard, he is loyal to the high-blood clans and especially the Vamp elders who wine and dine him and lavish gifts on him in secret.

‘Punishment for using democracy against them, the Vamp clans were not united on this either so how is punishing the Imps justified?’ Typical vamp politics Jane thinks to herself, they are so two-faced.

‘Exactly, do you think they will sit back and allow an upstart like Rando to spoil their party, the virus was just the beginning if they cannot undermine his position they will be more direct next time.’ Andrew is naming no-one but the implication is there, Rando is under threat but Jane believes he must have expected that.

 

Rachel is bouncing on her toes when the town car pulls up with Quinn and Russell in, after a quick hello to the head of the clan she throws herself into Quinn’s arms which is significantly more difficult now the babies are growing but Quinn hides her surprise. 

‘Rach, oh baby I missed you so much.’ Quinn readjusts and carries Rachel off with Russell looking on with a smile.

‘I will accept you carrying us one at a time but I am a little disappointed Shelby and I do not receive such treatment on your return.’ Judi raises her eyebrow to her mate who lights up at the sight of his mate and Shelby waiting for him.

‘Surely it is time you helped me up the stairs my love.’ Russell moves in to hold Judi close and kiss her to settle their nerves then feel Judi push him away so he moves to Shelby and offers up the same greeting, the feeling is the same, he is grounded by both of them and the Gyste is soothed.

‘Ladies, I am too emotionally drained to celebrate in town but I will gladly have your favorite meals delivered to you if you will do me the honor of dining in private with me this evening, I doubt Quinn will resurface till morning.’ 

Russell takes a hand of each woman and begins up the stairs to his wing of the house.

 

Rachel lays back naked and sated by her Mate, ‘Quinnie can you…’ 

‘No!’ Quinn buries her head in the pillow to ignore Rachel then relents and pads naked to the chiller for drinks, she knows that is Rachel’s request.

‘You know I dressed up for your return!’ Rachel surveys the clothes stroon about the bedchamber, some are not ripped but little will survive.

‘That was silly, here I put a lime in for you.’ Quinn hands Rachel her sparkling water with ice and settles against the headboard with her own refreshment. 

‘Thanks, do you want to catch up on the house tonight or wait till morning?’ Rachel knows by morning Dilas with have the whole story and Quinn will be briefed.

‘Tell me the best bits, I understand Santana ended up at the Davids estate and that my mother had her returned.’ Quinn leaves out the part where Mikel knew all about a wormhole between the estates and Holly hiding there for months.

‘Yes that covers the main parts, San was fine when she returned I had Marley check her over but all seems fine, your Aunt is saying nothing about Holly though, I imagine she will wait for Russell to decide her fate?’ Rachel is uncomfortable with this side of the family, casting Eva and her children out was hard enough and Rachel knew their sins against the family but Holly has guided and befriended Rachel since the day they met and Rachel would consider her a friend.

‘Holly has been using magic on the estate, the fairy circles in the forest were her for sure now, I am torn though Rach.’ Quinn can feel the unease from Rachel and knows this time she needs to please her mate before she punishes Holly.

 

‘Darling you did exactly as I would, it was your right after all to demand the safe return to the estate of one of us.’ Russell is reassuring Judi again.

‘But you said the Davids were angry about it.’ Judi is worried now she was too harsh in her words.

‘Nonsense, they had a knee-jerk reaction it was to be expected, Mikel will have the whole story by now.’ Russell also knows Mikel had prior knowledge regarding the opening between the estates so expects the Gyste to be reasonable. 

‘Judi listen to him, you were impeccable in your dealings yesterday, Russell she was brilliantly aloof.’ Shelby makes a face and both Russell and Judi laugh.

In these private moments Russell has managed to level the playing field for both women, he is never terse with either and expects none of the usual etiquettes, the three of them can truly relax and be equals together, Russell takes a moment to enjoy the feeling both his Human loves are happy and Russell knows this is why he fought so hard to change the rules.

 

‘But we work to the will of the high-council, the votes were cast and now we need to make the necessary changes in our policy to allow humans to travel without papers.’ Leroy is rubbing his head he has had a succession of Domus through his door making demands they are not ready to rule on yet. 

‘Leroy you cannot be that naive!’ Jane tries again to get through to him, while the rebels are happy Andrew is correct the Vamp clans will reap havoc against the Imp clans. 

‘Jane, this is a non-matter, we have a week before the ruling will be written up and then a further month before the start of the new rules, the transportation needs to be delivered and the agreed travel hubs built and I am aware you think Quinn Fabray is supernatural in her skills but…’ 

‘The devil!’ Jane interrupts, ‘She is the devil mark my words Leroy she will bring about the end of the world and she is starting now!’ 

‘The devil now is she, Jane maybe you need a holiday you are becoming irrational.’ Leroy attempts diplomacy.

Jane stands but she isn’t leaving yet, ‘Leroy I know you have a relationship with Quinn but she is going to bring down us all, I have proof this isn’t just the ranting of a mad woman!’ 

‘So bring me absolute proof Quinn Fabray is planning something and you have my word she will be brought to justice the same as any other would.’ Leroy stands firm on his belief in justice and he would never allow this to be disrupted even by Quinn. 

‘You will see!’ Jane will finally have her day and Quinn will suffer for all her sins and the sins of all her corrupt family. 

As she leaves Leroy shakes his head, Jane is a good Domus with a good record for convictions across the clans but this latest obsession with Quinn is something of a conundrum. 

 

Quinn and Rachel sit quietly in the early morning light together, Rachel has been restless with the twins having a party most of the night but they are quiet now so Rachel is sleeping with the Gyste holding her close.

_ Quinn! Quinn you there?  _ Sebastian can feel his twin is awake as he stands outside her rooms. 

_ Bastian wait for me in the outer room.  _ Quinn moves the sleeping diva towards the bed and lowers her to snuggle into the covers.

‘What do you want!’ Quinn asks when she comes into the lounge wearing a robe. 

‘Is Rachel ok? I felt her restless.’ Sebastian tries to see around his sister into the bedchamber.

Quinn closes her eyes, Rachel’s pregnancy is making Sebastian crazier than normal, ‘Sebastian please accept my word that she is fine, the babies were kicking last night and it is uncomfortable.’ 

‘I knew it!’ Sebastian squeals. ‘All night I have been plagued by wind and bloated stomach.’ 

‘Seb, I love that you care I really do but indigestion is no match for pregnancy, I suggest you take some chalk for the bloated feeling.’ Quinn is tired now, she needs some time to collect her thoughts before the recrimination begin in earnest.

‘Quinn, you seem even more tense than usual, can I take anything from you?’ Sebastian is unused to the twin bond being this strong between them but the Guru explained to both of them Rachel and her pregnancy is having an effect. 

Quinn studies him for a moment then smirk, even Sebastian is creeped out by her sometimes and she still revels in the feeling, ‘Keep Kurt happy but focused on the fashion house, I want all the planned stores to go ahead on time.’ 

‘That goes without saying.’ Sebastian is used to taking the strain for the business, ‘I want to know if there is anything else, I know we all temper the Gyste in our own ways but even you sister must feel the pull some days.’

Quinn knows what he is talking about, Gyste would fuck and fight their stresses away in the old days, even Quinn enjoyed the thrill of combat before Rachel arrived on the estate. ‘I don’t know you can ever quiet the Gyste completely brother, I can say nothing would hold me back to protect Rachel and my babies but the rest of it, the old times when Sam and I would visit the hostels and lose ourselves in the pleasure those days seem so long ago.’ 

‘Quinn we are not monsters, our mother knows this.’ Sebastian refers to their human mother. ‘For so long we have judged ourselves on the values of the humans in our families and not the Gyste, Sister I fully support all the reforms you and Father hope to bring about but do it because it is right and not because you have guilt.’ 

Quinn has a wry smile, ‘You know you are kinda smart sometimes.’ Sebastian salutes his sister and leaves for his chambers. 

 


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gyste meet to make plans for the future but in the shadows both the Rebels and the Vampire are waiting for the alliances to collapse...

By the time the meeting between the three main Gyste clans comes about Sue has relaxed a little, for now, Holly is confined to the Colonial building under twenty-four hour surveillance which is Russell being lenient. 

Sue has one problem today though, she needs to stand beside her brother and behind Quinn at the meeting and Sue is not used to Quinn being the head of the house.

Dilas is quietly getting on with things, he has all the needs of the members here today catered for and all of their Eunuch have been briefed on how to address Quinn and Russell, Sam will attend too along with a very quiet Sebastian but only as an introduction because their presence could be seen by some as aggressive. Quinn arrives on time and with Emmett following in his usual nervous fashion but this isn’t a worry to Quinn nor Dilas he is only there to show strength in numbers and has nothing to do in the meeting. 

‘Ma’am the families are en route to us and will both arrive together, we have assigned no preference for meetings.’ Dilas makes sure Quinn knows he has worked out all the wrinkles in her plan.

‘Is my father and Sue here?’ Quinn smiles to one of the lower Eunuch as he rushes past her.

‘Yes in your father’s office,’ Dilas whispers just to Quinn, ‘Sue has made no attempt to see Miss Holly.’ 

‘Good, once the families begin arriving Emmett you take the reigns from Dilly and keep everyone moving, Dilas you stay by my side all day.’ Quinn has a plan to shock the Gyste clans if needed. 

‘Yes, Ma’am.’ Both Eunuch speak at once and this makes Quinn laugh.

 

Palous Nielson arrives with his Claim Miranda, she is free to speak as she wishes and often attends gatherings with the head of the clan, in the car behind him, are his twin True-Gyste brothers who sit on the council with him and are pleased to see the council carry the motion to free travel.

‘Darling you should stay close all day, the other families can see how we have changed before them.’ Palous refers to the family reforms he has instigated without the approval of the other Gyste clans.

‘Pally, don’t get their backs up on the first day, this is the first such meeting in a generation remember that.’ Miranda straightens his jacket then kisses him.

‘Gross! Get a room or a fucking small town in the sky!’ Jared looks up at the Fabray building. 

‘You are jealous still?’ Miranda raises her eyebrow at the younger twin.

‘Of him,’ He nods to his brother, ‘Not the Fabray’s.’ 

‘Christo, do we have the gifts for Quinn and her Mate?’ Palous ignores the bickering of his Claim and brother.

‘Seriously thought you were kidding!’ Christo looks shocked then smirks when his brother frowns, ‘Eunuch brought them earlier today.’ He refers to the band of Eunuch he sent with their offerings to the host and to arrange all the little things like room temperature water for him and hot lemon for his twin. 

 

Russell and Sue stand looking from the twelfth floor at the first clan to arrive, ‘Looks like Palous brought his Claim, have we made a mistake not having your mother here?’ Russell asks without looking back from the window.

‘We all spoke about this, Santana is here because she deals with business matters but Mother and Rachel do not want a role in the company.’ Quinn and Russell sat down with their claims and talked this over, Rachel would like a studio in the building for when the babies are born and Quinn is fine with that but Judi scoffed at the idea informing Quinn and Russell they are mad if they think she has time to mess about in the city with all the estate business she needs to deal with.

The door opens and a flustered looking Burt enters, he will be present throughout the meetings but is not a named member of the council so is not used to attending, ‘Sorry I cannot find the files for the transport hubs.’ 

‘Dilas has prepared everything for us, you just needed to show up!’ Russell hopes Quinn can calm his brother.

‘Sorry.’ He says again.

‘Burtie Mcwerty just take a breath, Quinn has this all under control!’ Sue uses Burts childhood nickname to tease and calm him much to the relief of Russell. 

‘Sue is right uncle, just be with us today and learn from Father and Sue they will lead and we will follow.’ Quinn is being diplomatic again.

 

When Nikolai arrives with his siblings they stare in awe at the Fabray HQ too, they rarely visit this part of the country and have their main offices travel with them when they stay in the various estates, unlike Russell who made a base. 

‘Do you feel they planned to make us all feel small or are they genuine in their welcome?’ Mikel asks the others who all stare at the marble entrance and the Imp guard that line the way for them.

‘Quinn seems to be genuine, Sue, on the other hand, I do not trust.’ Nikolai has his fears and sticks with them. 

‘Today brothers we are all friends, I for one will be partaking in all the Fabray family offerings.’ Mira would like some of the grandeur the Fabray clan command. 

‘We all come with open hearts.’ Mikel makes the family stand known. 

As the foursome stand and admire the building a little more Nile and Nate arrive pull up with their Claims by their sides.

The older members of the family wait for the youngsters to join them before they all enter the Colonial building together.

 

In the most recent histories, the Gyste clans have rarely been seen to collect together in one place, this is a way of protecting the head of the clans and keeping the bloodlines clean. Today is the first time the three main clans have all met outside of the Council chambers in two decades, Russell has never invited the heads of the rival clans to his HQ before.

If the rebels were large enough in number and organised beyond a few cells in the city this would be the perfect strike against the Gyste, some might say that to take out the heads of the Blood-Gyste clans would render the whole system impotent but the rebels would need more numbers than they currently can gather to make a dent in the Gyste clans. 

Jane is with Jack Zool at a regular meeting place, the new ruling has come down from the council and she has a copy to pass to the rebels, in all her time colluding with them she has never seen them in such disarray. 

‘Jack this should be seen as a good thing surely?’ Jane again tries to lift the rebel leader.

‘The clans will be on high alert, they will all be looking for the rebel groups traveling and there is no way Quinn Fabray will allow us to move freely, she has an agenda.’ Jack rereads a section on families and scoffs at the idea a human will be allowed in their free time to return to the place they were bred to visit with family. 

‘For fuck sake, I am not that naive but I know Quinn will not risk making her move so soon, she needs the humans to achieve her goals it could take her decades to garner all the humans together.’ Jane is obsessed with an ancient text that prophocises the Blood-Gyste will one day rise up under the command of an all-seeing being, Jane has decided this being is Quinn.

‘You still talk of that prophecy, the whole thing is written in riddles how can anyone believe such nonsense.’ Jack has read this text too and it seems too fantastical to be true. 

‘The clans all live by text written hundreds of generations ago, they model their whole lives around them, Quinn matches the monster that is written.’ Jane has been researching the Fabray clan most of her life as a Domus, the bloodline is directly descended from the author of the texts. 

‘Look, I do not doubt Quinn and her Father want ultimate control, they may well do the job of destroying the Vamp clans for us but today the main problem is the Vamps and the Imps, if they go to war Quinn will lead the Gyste in another genocide and Humans are her prey!’ Jack rants again against Quinn and her kind.

 

After the initial introductions and the various family members meeting each other informally, the heads of the clans have brought them all together in a vast hall with an ornate table that can easily seat one hundred people. 

Quinn rises from her seat and bangs a gavel to attract the attention of the room, ‘Friends, we are blessed to sit in each others company today, last week we brought about a momentous change that is only the beginning.’ The room erupts in applause, the gyste all impressed with themselves.

‘But today is about more than just this first step, today is about us as a people laying out the future we want all our children to live in.’ Quinn looks to the heads of the other clans, ‘We have all made strides to change in our own ways over the years but today I propose we find a coherent strategy as Gyste to take us into the coming generations.’ The applause rings out again and the room can feel the change coming. 

 

In a castle far from the city there is another meeting taking place, Marcus and Petra have joined with the Princeson clan and the much-feared Varity family in a council of war.

Eugene Princeson stands to address the gathering, ‘We have been attacked by the very council I set up to protect our families, we have been let down by the bastard children of those I called allies and we are now being forced to go against everything that it means to be a Vampire, make no mistake friends we are in a war already and how we fight back will decide how many of us survive another generation!’ Eugene is used to being listened to and today he expects an attentive audience.

‘We should hit the Imp clans hard! Cut off the head of the beast!’ Marcus rants.

‘Killing them is too good for them!’ Andrea Varity chips in.

Petra watches this all unfold, the clans before her today are trapped in a historical time warp, they still believe the world fears the wrath of the Vampirie and forget even the lowliest of Imp clans no longer tremble at the sight of reds eyes and fangs. 

The shift was subtle at first, the Imp protecting themselves with herbs and potions until the use of Imp blood was seen as tainted and only humans fed the vampires. The Gyste came from nowhere to lead all over the world, immune to the vampirie thrall and with blood like acid to the vamps they were quickly seen as a threat but with nothing to scare the great Blood-Gyste clans with the vamps just allowed them to grow and prosper through fear of reprisals. Today the Imps have the numbers the Vamps need to succeed against the Gyste, to sacrifice an Imp to the temper of a Gyste is nothing to a heartless Vampire but by isolating the Imp armies the Vamps have weakened themselves beyond repair. 

‘I vote we strangle the finances of all the Imp clans, starve them into submission!’ Brice Varity knows his clan holds the debts of most of the room and all of the major Imp clans, in theory, he could bankrupt them all. 

‘How do you starve an Imp, they would eat pig shit given half a chance!’ Marcus scoffs at the idea the Varity clan have the power to bring the Imps to their knees.

‘Marcus is right, we are missing the main enemy in all this!’ Eugene stands to return the room to his attention alone, ‘The Gyste need to be punished for revolting against us!’ 

Marcus smiles at the idea as does Brice and Andrea Varity both of whom hate the Fabray clan with a passion because they have financed their own success and owe nothing to the banking family. 

‘You are all wrong!’ Petra speaks out, ‘The Gyste are more dangerous to us than even we realize, they have sided with us in the past and bringing them back to our way of thinking is the only way to gain the power we need!’ The room stares at Petra like she has two heads, they all want war and will wage it against the Imps thinking they are the easiest target.

‘Sit down, you embarrass me!’ Marcus tries to seat his mate.

‘Let me tell you what is embarrassing, in this room we have clans that are living in the glorious past, they are feeding like they have always done, making money how their forefathers did and all the while the Gyste have moved on, they are light years ahead of us in technology and thinking, they hold our future in their hands and not the other way around!’ 

The room falls silent at Petra’s words, Marcus feels the air change as the older Vamps all seethe. The reason the Vampires hold onto power for so long is down to Vampire strength, it grows with age, this is why despite knowing she is ruining the house of Jones-Rey Marcus is powerless to stop his mother, it is why Eugene holds the title to the Vampire kings because he is the oldest and why Rando slaughtered his family to leave himself at the top of the tree.

‘Get out!’ Brice stands and points at Petra. ‘You are a traitor to your kind!’ 

‘No you old fool you are bringing about the destruction of the vampirie, you with your outdated rules and heroic versions of your own histories.’ Petra knows she might die but she will speak, ‘The Gyste are not like us and they are not human either, for years we have labored under the delusion they are like us, they need the humans to survive but they don’t!’ Marcus prepares to flee the room, he will not stand between his mate and her fate. ‘They can go months without blood, did you realize that?’ Petra looks at the blank faces in the room and has her answer, ‘See you know nothing of them, they are different to us, they feed on the energy, they live in groups feeding each other and then when they mate they change the very being of the human they join with.’ Petra waits for the death she thought was certain but it does not come. 

‘What are you talking about?’ Brice asks he like all the other believes the Gyste is a mutated version of the Vampire. 

‘They are not related to us, they share none of the DNA of the Vampire, they are set alone from all the clans because they should not exist on this earth, they are an aberration that has assumed the shape of a human to succeed and they are waiting for the moment we all turn on each other to destroy us one clan at a time.’ Petra lets it all out.

‘Rubbish, they come from a small clan of vampirie in Europe, we all know that!’ Eugene recites the legend of the Gyste as they have been taught since time began. 

‘We know nothing like we are blind to the power of the Fabray family, Quinn Fabray should not exist!’ Petra is willing to tell all she knows to the clans now. 

‘Not this again, your grandfather believed in a god-like creature the Gyste would one day create, it is a myth, a story told to children to frighten them into behaving, there are no such things as divine beings, if there were I assure you it would come from the pure blood of the vampirie and not the bastard child of a Gyste!’ Eugene has heard enough of this superstition, ‘Get out, take your stories with you before I change my mind and kill you myself!’ 

 

‘They will come for us!’ Jared Nielson reiterates.

‘No.’ Sue stands, ‘They will come after the Imp clans, we must protect them at all costs, they are our soldiers and our friends we must never forget the sacrifices they have made for the Gyste.’ Sue has always recruited Imp into the Fabray security services.

‘None of us forget Sue but I think what Jared is saying is we must defend ourselves and our families too!’ Mikel spots the hackles rise between the Fabray military leader and Jared.

‘The rebels will also use this time to attack of this I am sure!’ Miranda the Claim to the head of the Nielson clan speaks freely despite the company. 

‘You are quite correct.’ Quinn smiles at the woman, ‘In the short term I believe the Rebels will use the freedom to travel to disrupt peace but we cannot be dragged into fighting with the rebel groups, they are poorly armed and badly organized.’ The room agrees with Quinn, the rebels offer little threat to the Gyste clans and Quinn proved that when they attacked last year. 

‘They will do more harm to the free humans than good.’ Russell says, ‘We should offer an alternative to the rebel fighters for Humans to gather together.’ 

‘Like political groups?’ Mikel asks Humans who gather together in political rallies has been outlawed since the great war, no clan will agree to politicise the humans.

‘No, give them a voice by all means but within the clans, let them see the freedom is real but that society is changing slowly, give them something that will allow them a platform for change, something the youth can believe in that isn’t a rebel group with makeshift bombs.’ Russell hopes this will bring the disgruntled closer to the clans. 

‘This could work, each of us knows our clans though so I propose we each decide the structure for the humans in our care.’ Nikolai likes this, his children can become the leaders of the groups easily.

‘Quinn what can you offer us for the travel systems, I know you Mikel have raw materials to sell but for my clan what can be the spoil.’ Palous says.

Quinn knew this would come and has been working with Sebastian on an idea, ‘I know my brother has thoughts on this.’ Quinn motions for Sebastian to stand and can feel his nerves in the room.

‘We propose that the stations be run by your clan, you have a history of efficiency and organization and also you have the technology needed to power the timetable, of course, Rando Af-Mason who has worked with Quinn throughout this will need to agree to any favor.’ Sebastian bows his head and sits back behind his sister.

‘I can agree to this, the terms to be hammered out in the coming weeks but yes, as long as we all see a share of the spoils I see no reason to quibble unnecessarily.’ Palous feels a chill in the room but does not realize Sebastian was draining them all a little, Quinn is calming him and drawing from him to keep his hunger at bay. 

‘What are we to do about the practice of claims and Eunuch for instance?’ Mira rarely speaks but when she does the room is listening.

‘I cannot see any of us removing centuries of tradition overnight,’ Russell begins, ‘My mate is human, as is my Daughter’s, Samuel blood mated to an Imp with Incubi heritage, all these groups are linked to us in servitude we know this is an unfair system in theory but surely how we practice is the important thing.’ 

‘So you believe leaving the system to the clans is the best way forward?’ Mira questions Russell.

‘I believe none of us are prepared to accept an arbitrary law that dictates how we are to behave, there are Gyste clans not as liberal as we are in this room and we cannot forget that.’ Russell looks to Mikel knowing he is more strict than either of the other clans. 

‘My father is right, when I first took a claim she would tremble before me, she believed I would rape and abuse her to please the Gytse.’ Quinn looks to Santana remembering how her friend warned Quinn when Rachel first arrived. ‘We have an image problem, the Vamp clans have used us to control their Humans, they tell awful stories of the cruelty the Gyste indulges in.’ 

Nikolai looks about the room, ‘Even here in the room we have differences, Palous you bring a claim to a meeting with the heads of a clan, an act of insult in the eyes of many but we sit and we gladly listen to the learned words of Miranda.’ Nikolai nods to the human claim, ‘But Quinn and Russell do not bring their mates to a meeting.’ 

Palous laughs a little, ‘I understand you both, I was never blessed to find my blood mate and I believe this is because of the love I have for this woman.’ He kisses Miranda’s hand and smiles warmly at her, ‘Quinn I have seen your Mate perform openly with Vamp claims and thralls and I know that you Mikel have several claims all living under your roof.’ Mikel and Quinn look confused for a moment, is he attacking them. ‘My father and his sister were cruel, they did rape the claims they took to break them and keep them compliant but this practice disgusts me, Quinn we have an image problem of our own making and only as clan leaders can we address the issue.’ 

‘If I may speak?’ Santana addresses Quinn who smiles, ‘What if we all agreed to take claims only from Vamp or Imp farms that educated their humans in humane ways if we set the standard.’ 

The leaders all think for a moment and Santana looks to Russell for some support, ‘You mean we make a pact to only take humans from those who treat them with the respect we all hope to achieve?’ Russell reads between the lines to clarify for the other named members.

‘Yes, the Vamp clans and some Imp clans rely on the financial benefits of raising healthy humans, what if we also value the moral health of the humans we accept into the families.’ Santana is on a roll now and Sam is so proud of her. 

‘Good, I like it.’ Palous says, ‘Quinn might I ask Santana to work with my sons on this and come up with a proposal we can all agree on, Nikolai I am sure one of your children would be willing to give their input?’ 

Nikolai and Mikel both nod, ‘Perhaps one of the claims or mates would be better placed to make the proposal, it is easy for us to imagine how a human or an Imp or a Succubi,’ He nods to Sam and Santana, ‘should be treated but only those who have suffered such a fate can truly comment.’ Nikolai speaks with a quiet tone.

‘Santana is free to work on this, I can imagine she will make some very interesting points.’ Quinn gives her consent for her brother’s mate to act on the clan’s behalf.

Palous looks to his claim who is smiling still, ‘Yes this will be even better, good we have the first agreement in the bag.’ 

The room descends into some chatter and the Eunuch move about attending to their masters while Sue observes quietly and takes in the mood with some surprise.

 

Marcus wants to kill Petra but at the same time he is annoyed the other ignored her words, he knows she is an expert on the Gyste and for the elders to dismiss her is a mistake.

‘Marcus stop sulking, I could stay silent no longer.’ Petra throws her bag done in the hall of their mansion.

‘Do you truly believe what you said, about the Gyste are they so different from us?’ Marcus has always disregarded them.

‘I swear to you Marcus, something is happening with the bloody Gyste we are not privy to, Quinn is a freak of nature and I know that slut succubus was never mated before and cannot be mated now.’ Petra will concede she seems obsessed with Santana but the mating is just not right.

‘If the others will not listen, if they are as you say trapped in a timewarp what are we to do?’ Marcus has never acted outside of the vampire clans before following the old ways and living under the rules of his family.

‘Protect ourselves, that is all we can do.’ Petra decides she needs a nuclear option and believes the only weakness Quinn has is her pregnant mate.

 

By the end of the day all the clans are tired and energized by the decisions they have made, they have managed to agree on a number of points. The families will all enter into a period of reflection and take stock of themselves, Palous and Nikolai will meet with Russell later in the month to start the process and every few months thereafter to keep the momentum going. 

Rachel, Judi, and Shelby arrive with Mike and Elliott in tow, Dave has been at the colonial building all day hanging out but the others have arrived for an evening meal and gathering to show the Fabray clan united. 

Russell is the first to greet his family with a smile for them all and special attention for his mate and claim, Mike looks horrified at being here with all eyes on him he feels. 

‘Hey, there beautiful and little terrors!’ Quinn kisses Rachel softly and holds her attention breathing in the presence of her mate after a long day.

‘I have never seen this place so alive.’ Rachel comments on the often sterile office building that the Fabray’s use for business, ‘It looks almost welcoming to the uninitiated!’ 

Mike looks around again, when Brit was still alive he only visited the colonial building once, she had no interest in business and so stayed far from the confines of the offices, ‘Will there be many people here tonight?’ He asks nervously.

Quinn shakes her head, ‘Michael dear we have spoken about this, you have nothing to worry about and tonight for sure you can speak freely at all times just go meet some people, there may even be a few dancers in the mix.’ 

Mike is still keen to stay close to his claimer for safety, ‘Yeah sure.’ He makes an effort at least. 

‘Russell, who do we need to know?’ Judi asks her mate, she has been the mate to a high-blood gyste for a long time and she is an expert networker, Russell and Judi have a system in place whereby she is able to get details Russell would never prise from a guest.

‘Well as I have two beautiful companions tonight I am sure they will all flock to us!’ Russell flirts with Shelby and Judi more openly now. 

‘Rachel, how are the babies?’ Sebastian appears to feel his sisters mates mood. 

‘Still mine!’ Quinn growls and Rachel slaps the arm Quinn protectively pulls the diva close with.

‘Here, see!’ Rachel places Sebastian’s hand on her now prominent baby bump for him to feel them wriggling as usual. 

Sebastian takes a moment to assess the babies and then beams a smile to his sister, ‘They are so strong Quinnie, oh they are going to be absolute horrors!’ He laughs at the face of his sister. 

‘OK, enough!’ Judi can feel the twins about to bicker, ‘We have a party to host so shall we get to it?’ 

Russell leads the way with his Mate and Shelby taking a hand each. 


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russell and Quinn lay down the law on Holly and Sue can only comply with her more powerful relatives and do as the say...

Sebastian and Kurt are deep in conversation when Sam joins them in the sunroom, he has nothing to do again. The lake development will go ahead now that all the permits are issued, Santana has arranged it all perfectly. Dave is dealing with the gardens with some help from Elliott who is surprisingly hands-on and Quinn is spending her morning attending to Rachel’s whims so he is at a loose end. 

‘Sam, you look at a loss?’ Kurt can see his cousin is bored by his demeanor.

Sam takes a biscuit from the tray before them and bites it in half, ‘I again find myself surplus to requirements.’ 

‘Really because I know Santana has some sewing she needs finishing!’ Sebastian snipes at his brother.

‘Fuck you!’ Sam has nothing else witty to offer. 

Kurt shakes his head at Sam, ‘You must have something to do, the meetings with the other clans and all the preparations for the travel permits must need some attention?’ 

‘San will do it.’ Is all Sam has to offer.

The other two return to the portfolio Kurt has open and the plans for the next store that will open in a couple of weeks.

 

Quinn is full of energy today, she has sorted her wardrobe and been to the nursery several times to check on progress and now she is looking for the next thing to do while she waits for Rachel.

‘Rach do you want to go into the city?’ Rachel is moving slower these days, two hungry Gyste growing inside her are making every day a struggle.

When she comes into the outer room she looks pale, ‘Not today, can we just hang out? Go with Sam if you need to let off some steam.’ 

‘No I didn’t mean that I just…’ Quinn watches as Rachel eases herself into the chair, ‘Rach let me do something for you?’ 

‘Like what? Remove your devil spawn from inside me? I have some weeks to go still.’ Rachel has been snapping at her mate for days, Quinn is taking it all on the chin though all the baby books Shelby gave her warned of moods. 

‘Mama said that sex sometimes brings the birth forward?’ Quinn smiles then realizes by the look of doom on Rachel’s face the pregnant woman is not amused.

‘Quinn look at me!’ Rachel demands of the confused Gyste, ‘I am huge, I look like a shipping container in a dress!’ Quinn still looks closer but sees only her mate in all her pregnant glory. ‘Quinn!’ Rachel yells to snap Quinn out of her dream world.

‘What? Sorry, look Rach I don’t know what to do OK, I get you are uncomfortable I understand that I know you feel fat but honestly baby you are more beautiful than ever!’ Quinn means what she says, Rachel pregnant is something Quinn could get used to, the little human is more alive than before she is more radiant to the Gyste and also Quinn is turned on almost all the time when she is around. 

Rachel rolls her eyes, ‘Quinn if I had to choose right now, I would have you castrated so you never came near me again!’ Rachel slowly stands because it is an effort then storms from the room more slowly than before so it is less dramatic. 

 

Shelby is basking as she calls it, she and Russell have had some alone time and they are laying in the bed enjoying the closeness and chatting about nothing much. 

‘So the Gyste is either dominant or not and the Gyste is the one who decides the most dominant in the family?’ Shelby often has Russell explain things to her in these relaxed moments.

‘Yes, this is how my mother explained it to me, I am two beings, a human form over a monster.’ Russell begins but Shelby interrupts.

‘Russ you are no monster!’ 

‘I know but it is a metaphor so go with it, OK not a monster then a supernatural being?’ Russell tries again, ‘The human controls the body, my eating my exercising the way I fold my clothes.’ 

‘OK I understand.’ Shelby can visualize that.

‘The gyste is all about primal need, so sex, fighting, breeding if you will.’ Russell knows this is complicated, ‘When I was a child after the first few weeks the Gyste slept until puberty, the human version with hair and sweaty socks.’ Shelby laughs at this, ‘Then the Gyste awoke, the primal being was forced forward, that is what we fight to control.’ Russell hopes Shelby gets it better now. 

‘So that is why you and the children were sent away?’ Shelby read all this part in the Archive.

‘Yes, to control the Gytse, the primal self.’ Russell fought hard as a teenager, Sue was always more in control.

‘So when Quinn and Sebastian were sent away you had no idea it would be Quinn who succeeded you?’ Shelby has been thinking about the babies and how they will stack up in the hierarchy of the family.

‘Well, I wouldn’t say that look Brit was never going to be dominant that was obvious, in some ways Sam is dominant but he lacks the intellect of Quinn and Sebastian.’ Russell is trying to be kind but both Brittany and Sam are as dumb as a bag of nails compared to Sebastian and Quinn. ‘That really left Sebastian and Quinn to fight it out so to speak, Quinn was never an easy child let me say, Judi actually forgave too much with both her and Sebastian. Quinn showed signs from an early age of dominance, she was manipulative, able to trick both Sam and Brit into doing her bidding easily, she also knew just how to work her mother one minute she was a terror and the next needy just how Judi wanted her.’ Russell sighs.

Shelby thinks about it all, ‘Human children are similar though, Rachel always demanded the spotlight, Richard is very much how you described Quinn he always knew how to make me forgive him.’ 

‘So you get how they are, with Gyste they are just a little more intense I guess having never been a human child.’ Russell thinks how the differences must look. 

‘And the true-Gyste, they never become dominant?’ Shelby asks, she knows there is a slim chance Rachel is carrying true-Gyste but Quinn and Russell are sure they are the full-blooded variety. 

‘I guess they could, there are families who live without Blood-Gyste, remember it is not guaranteed a child will be born like Quinn.’ Russell wonders how much Shelby worries about the risks involved. 

‘But these families are not as successful are they, I mean they do not sit on the councils and so on?’ Shelby has never really thought about the difference in the Gyste this way before.

‘I guess not, it is very rare for a family to not ascend with a Blood-Gyste line.’ Russell can think of no families he knows of. ‘It is a matter of strength, Burt cannot beat me in arm wrestling for instance but I am not sure of my chances against Sue or Quinn.’

‘So why did Sue not challenge you?’ Shelby asks.

‘We just sort of agreed on it together, we had our reasons for challenging our father and once I ascended first Sue sort of settled on being the right hand.’ Russell hasn’t thought about this in years, Sue would have been a very competent leader of a clan but chose to stand by Russell once their father was killed. 

Shelby settles in with the Gyste again, quiet for now they both make themselves comfortable together in the time they have alone. 

 

Quinn is looking through the final wording for the travel law when Rachel comes back from her self-imposed exile in the bedroom, ‘You didn’t come and get me?’ She says standing before Quinn with her hands on her hips.

‘I thought you wanted to be alone Rach.’ Quinn keeps her tone calm despite her frustrations.

‘It would have been nice is all I am saying.’ Rachel moves the papers away from her mate and settles in to snuggle now she is ready. ‘Quinn, do you think the babies are going to be OK?’ Rachel asks in a small voice.

Quinn looks down at her mate safe tucked into her and smiles, she places her hands over the baby bump and takes a moment, ‘Do you want to know the sex of our babies?’ She asks.

Rachel looks up into the steel green eyes of her mate, ‘Can you really tell that?’ 

‘Well pretty much, they are giving off a vibe remember if one is like me there would be a difference but yes I think I can give you a very informed guess right now.’ Quinn has been searching the little Gyste since she knew of the pregnancy, Gyste can bond with babies in the womb using their gifts to silently communicate. 

‘I want to know!’ Rachel wriggles about to face Quinn but holds the Gyste’s hand over the babies location.

‘I can feel a boy and a girl, I am sure as father and Sebastian is they are going to be blood-children which is also why they are growing so quickly but one of each is in there my love.’ Quinn leans in for a kiss but Rachel pulls back.

‘Obviously one could be like you and intersexed so does that feel like a possibility?’ Rachel needs more details now, ‘Do they speak yet, you know in the bond?’ 

‘No darling, they won’t be able to speak in the bond necessarily, Sam and Seb can’t remember.’ Quinn hoped for a lot more from Rachel given the news, she hoped for some affection.

‘Oh, right of course, so are they ready to come out yet?’ Rachel rambles on like Quinn has a direct line to her womb. 

‘Rach they don’t speak!’ Quinn sighs, maybe this was a mistake or maybe Quinn can use Sebastian’s interest in the babies to deflect.

 

‘Sir?’ Phillip knocks to alert Russell of his presence then calls out.

‘One moment Phillip.’ Russell rises and grabs a robe moving to the hall in his wing of the house, ‘What is it?’ 

‘Your sister would like to speak with you, I know she has been to the colonial building last night.’ Phillip hints at the nature of Sue’s request.

‘OK, tell her we will have tea in my office, I will be an hour.’ Russell dismisses the Eunuch then returns to Shelby who is also now up and dressing, ‘Oh I thought we could maybe bathe together?’ Russell tries the eyebrow trick Quinn and Seb use.

‘Did you now?’ Shelby smiles, ‘What will you tell her?’ 

Russell knows who she means, ‘Honestly, I am torn on this in many directions, you and Rachel could have been hurt in the woods that day and then what would we do?’

‘But we are fine!’ Shelby remains calm.

‘Holly neglected her duties to my sister and by doing so she left us exposed.’ Russell is weighing it up as they talk. 

‘But we are not in danger Russ.’ Shelby knows Rachel is desperate to save the Imp from exile or harm.

‘I know, I know, if Eva had not betrayed us so recently I would have forgiven already I am sure, Holly was bereft when Sue left to be with Magret, she has not given away any of the family secrets to cause us harm and did nothing to intentionally harm us but she did betray the family Shelly you must be able to see that?’ Russell doesn’t want there to be a rift in the family and Burt is keen to see Holly punished after his twin was banished.

‘Can you leave the decision to Sue?’ Shelby wonders.

Russell had not thought of that, maybe with Quinn in agreement this could work, Burt is so caught up in his new lover he might be more relaxed, ‘I make no promises but I shall ask Quinn for her thoughts before I decide, ok?’ 

‘You are a good man Russell.’ Shelby rewards him with her kiss.

 

When Russell finally cleans himself up and goes looking for Quinn he is surprised to hear such laughter from his daughter's rooms, opening the door when his knock is ignored he finds a heartwarming sight. 

Quinn is laid on the floor with her head on Rachel’s legs, Sebastian is at the pregnant woman’s side cooing over the babies as ever. Dilas and Emmett are on the opposite sofa relaxing and laughing and Elliott is in a reading chair with a towel over his head for some unknown reason.

‘Father, sorry did you call for one of us?’ Quinn asks as she stands.

‘I was looking for you actually if I might have a moment with you?’ Russell looks back to see Udan return with another towel and a shirt which he hands to Elliott, the poor hapless boy is covered in something possibly his drink or knowing Quinn she made him faint again.

The two Gyste leave the room and the chatter starts again, ‘Rachel is having Sebastian talk to the babies, he is making it all up of course but she is happy.’ Quinn gives a brief explanation.

‘I want to ask you about Holly.’ Russell begins and he sees the look cross Quinn’s features, ‘I know your mother and Shelby feel the same as Rachel about it, would it work for you if Sue deals with her?’ Russell asks.

‘Do you mean let Sue decide her fate and we abide by her decision?’ Russell nods, ‘Do you have any provisions for this?’ 

‘Such as?’ Russell hadn’t thought of anything.

‘Dad she used magic in the grounds, she defected to another clan offered herself to them.’ Quinn wants to please Rachel but Holly must share some of the blame.

‘I know, so we do what exactly?’ Russell is terse and stressed.

‘I want Sue stopped from working on weapons in secret, bring her back under your control, this has to be the condition.’ Russell nods again, ‘And from now on without question magic stays off the estate!’ Quinn makes her case. 

‘I think that is fair if Sue decides to cast her out what do we do?’ Russell thinks of the least likely scenario.

‘If that is her decision we support her, look I know Mama is putting pressure on you but Holly is a claim after all and only Sue should decide what happens, the clan should offer Sue their support regardless of the outcome.’ Russell knows he raised his children to be fair and honest but Quinn still surprises him, despite her distaste for the dealings Sue has with weapons she remains loyal to her aunt.

‘Agreed, I will go speak with Sue now.’ Russell knows he is still the head of the family but he is looking forward to retirement.

 

Sue sits waiting on Russell and his decision, Holly is still locked away in the colonial building and Sue has tried to stay away. When Russell walks in she fears the worst, he looks tense and angry again.

‘Sit Sister.’ Russell says when Sue goes to stand for him.

‘Russ I just want to say…’ Sue begins but Russell stops her.

‘Wait, you make the decision on Holly, Quinn and I are in agreement, you decide and we support you whatever the decision is.’ Russell watches Sue’s face contort in confusion, ‘Holly has done nothing to the clan that cannot be repaired but the magic stops!’

‘Of course.’ Sue sees hope for her courtesan.

‘Also, the secret work in the colonial building.’ Sue shows she understands, ‘Quinn wants that stopped too unless you are prepared to open it up to scrutiny.’

Russell waits for the explosion that doesn’t come, ‘I agree, Quinn will have complete access to all the workings of Fabray Inc.’ Sue bows in submission.

‘I have to say sister I expected more of a fight.’ Russell says to the Gyste who looks broken for want of a better word.

‘Do you remember when you met Judi for the first time?’ Sue asks her brother.

‘Well, my memory and hers differ.’ Russell jokes, Judi claims he fell in love with her at first sight but Russell insists he was more composed.

‘I remember the change in you, it is the same change I saw in Quinn with Rachel, Russ if I have to step down, be exiled or give my life for Holly in exchange for hers I would.’ Sue means her words. ‘She is what I should always have had, that love is what I deserved all along, Margret will remain on the estate of course and I will forever be in her debt for my beautiful girls but Holly is the soul that completes mine and until I almost lost her I never saw it clearly.’ Russell sees tears in his sisters' eyes, he rarely sees anything of emotion from her but this is killing her.

‘I love you sister, Quinn will always stand by you and me no matter what, let her in Sue.’ Russell alludes to the work of the clan and also the emotional support Sue has gone without all these years.

‘Holly will be moved to the Guru, once we are happy she has been rehabilitated she will be returned to her rightful place by my side, I hope Quinn will see it in her heart to perhaps share the mating ritual with me she shared with Santana, I believe I have waited long enough for love.’ Sue means well for the clan but her ultimate goal is to have Holly returned to her.

‘And the magic?’ Russell will not bend on this.

‘You have my word, it will all be destroyed or put into the hands of Quinn to decide, I will allow Quinn access to anything she wants including my mind if that is what is needed.’ Sue hates the idea of Quinn being so powerful but she knows her niece can take her thoughts at will anyway.

‘We have an agreement, I will do my best to settle Burt but he may need some time, he did after all lose his twin for crimes.’ Russell foresees his brother being pissed at the ruling but hopes with Kurt now home, sense can be agreed on.

 

Marley is looking closely at all the latest blood tests for Rachel and can see a problem beginning, she has read all about the Gyste and their pregnancies and thought this could happen but Rachel had remained strong up to this week. 

‘Quinn, may I visit you and Rachel, I have some news from the lab.’ Marley arranges a visit on the phone with Quinn then packs up her things and starts off for the main house.

 

‘What is it?’ Rachel asks Quinn when she returns her phone to her pocket.

‘Marley is coming to discuss the latest lab results.’ Quinn turns to her brother who is now laying with his head in the diva’s lap.  ‘Up oaf!’ She gripes at him.

‘Is there a problem?’ Rachel asks.

‘You will start needing blood probably.’ Sebastian says before Quinn can quiet him.

‘What!’ Rachel looks a little green, ‘Do you mean like you?’ She aims at Quinn. 

‘Let’s just wait until Marley gets here before we all become hysterical!’ Quinn aims at her brother.

Sebastian does take the hint for once and stands, ‘Come on you two.’ He says to Elliott and Udan, ‘We can leave them to it I think Quinn can cope alone.’ 

Quinn smiles as they leave, ‘I shall be in the quarters if you need anything, ma’am.’ Emmett says and leaves through the door to the Eunuch rooms. 

When Marley arrives Dilas answers the door and ushers her in, ‘Would you like a drink or anything miss?’ He asks the medic.

‘No thank you.’ Marley expects Dilas to leave but he sits on the sofa facing Quinn and Rachel quite comfortably.

‘So these tests, what stage are we at?’ Quinn gets down to business, she expects Rachel is closer to delivering than the human thinks. 

‘Final week or so from what I can ascertain, obviously every human is slightly different.’ Marley reaches for some instruments, she will need Rachel to consent first, ‘As you know I am quite certain these are Blood-children and so the rate of development is speeded up, even more, they are a good size from my measurements.’ 

‘Wait, so they might be here in a week?’ Rachel asks, ‘I thought I had a month to go?’ 

‘As I say all Gyste are different.’ Marley tries again to explain.

‘Rachel we talked about this, the babies grow quicker than a human is used too so you need to be prepared to be tired and maybe need some help.’ Quinn wants to know if there is a problem not quibble all the time. 

‘I assure you Miss you are carrying very healthy babies, there might be a small problem with your iron levels but we can try to even those out, this is important now as the babies are using all the reserves you normally have.’ Marley


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quinn and Rachel are prepared for the birth of their children but are they prepared for the consequences....

The whole of the household is on a countdown, Quinn has officially stepped away from all her other commitments until the babies are here and Rachel is basking in the attention of her mate.

Russell and Sue have not heard from their brother for days since an argument broke out when Burt realized Holly was in his opinion going unpunished. 

‘Russ just let him come back in his own time, you know he is safe and he is just hiding out with Dee that was to be expected.’ Judi tries again to settle her mate.

‘I expect you agree with her?’ Russell asks Shelby who is reading on the bed in his chambers.

‘I do.’ Shelby barely looks up from the novel but she and Judi have already agreed on their thoughts so they are both treating the worrying of Russell with a little contempt and no compassion.

‘Fine, right shall we go to the club to stay close to home or how about we all go down to the lake and get some sunshine for a few hours?’ Russell is now joining Quinn in waiting for the birth at the house but is a little stir crazy.

‘I vote the lake.’ Shelby says from the bed.

‘Yes, the lake with a picnic would be perfect, we will let you make the arrangements and meet you there.’ Judi has a cheeky grin as she dismisses the Gyste who happily leaves the room to arrange a picnic and have the Eunuch set up a spot in the sunshine.

‘He is OK though?’ Shelby says as she rises from the bed.

‘Burt?’ Shelby nods, ‘Yes, he is just sulking, I know he feels justified but he cannot keep this up much longer.’ Judi hates the tensions but still, she feels no Guilt for the expulsion of Eva. 

 

Marley goes through today's list of jobs, she has brought in extra staff from the Colonial building to pick up the slack as she has a team on call 24/7 in case Rachel needs them. 

‘Can you look into this peak over near the club in rashes.’ Marley looks for any signs of unusual events every day and even the most mundane is looked at by the Imp security. 

‘Yes Ma’am,’ Brice is a little put out not to be on the birthing team for Rachel but Marley believes he is the best option she has to leave in charge of the estate when she needs to attend to the Diva and babies. 

‘Good, apart from that all seems ok, nothing else has come up so we wait for the new heirs to arrive again today.’ Marley is anxious to see all goes without a hitch as this will be her first Gyste birth. 

Brice gives a small smile, he has birthed Gyste before in his previous roles and believes he would be better used to help Rachel but he will follow orders and do as Marley directs despite his jealousies, Quinn will be eternally grateful to the Drs who deliver her first children and like many Imp he likes to be owed a favour. 

 

Rachel and Dilas make the long walk down to the sunroom from her chambers, Quinn is on the phone with Rando and so Rachel being impatient has gone on ahead. Any movement by the babies throws the little Diva off balance and she has a reoccurring nightmare where she pops open from the pressure on her small frame. 

‘Miss here take my arm.’ Dilas notices his mistress wobble again.

‘Thanks, Dilly, to the Gods this needs to end soon.’ Rachel is eager for the birth now as she cannot wait to have the babies out of her before they grow to the size of an adult within her womb. 

‘Marley says today is probably the last day, all the tests say you are ready and the little ones are very active.’ Dilas follows Rachel everywhere at the moment even more than usual if that is possible he is her shadow and all the Eunuch know the steps they must take when Rachel goes into labour.

‘Good, I swear I will sew that band to Quinn’s wrist myself to prevent this from happening again, honestly these demons are trying to kill me!’ Rachel is both uncomfortable and frustrated by the final few days of her pregnancy, she is being made to drink blood from the chattels to satiate the babies and her intake of green vegetables has reached such proportions she may never touch spinach again. 

‘Sorry, Rando called to check on you but he also has some news on the station plans he wanted to ask about, you look exhausted already Rach, here let me take the strain.’ Rachel bats away her mate as Quinn moves to pick the Diva up bridal style.

‘Look, I am almost there now so leave me be, aw jeez!’ Rachel buckles over as she bites at her mate.

‘Rach, baby.’ Quinn is on her knees looking up at her mate in a flash, ‘Is it time?’ Quinn asks again.

‘For fuck sake Quinn, Awww Fuck!!’ Rachel calls out, she would like to cuss Quinn out a little more but the babies are coming for sure this time. 

‘Dilas, go for demon birth!’ Quinn uses the silly code they decided to alert the household to Rachel’s labour beginning.

Dilas springs into action and grabs the nearest house phone, ‘We have liftoff!’ He says to Marley when she picks up.

‘On my way, where are you?’ Marley waves to the birthing team who are sat waiting in the outer room.

‘West wing ground floor outside the sunroom.’ Dilas says and hangs up, he moves to Rachel and Quinn, ‘They are on the way, Miss just sit back like Marley showed you.’ Dilas directs the pair to remember the classes they have all joined in on. 

‘Dilly call Sam and Sebastian have them go to the medical suite and offer up their blood for the birth.’ Quinn has made plans for her brothers to donate in case she is unable to give Rachel enough blood.

‘Ma’am.’ Dilas goes to make the calls, he will also call Quinn’s mother to the suite for the support.

 

Sebastian throws his shorts on and stumbles out into the hall with a baffled Elliott still in a towel watching the Gyste leave without a word. 

 

Santana and Sam are on their way to the medics in seconds once Dilas tells them the news, Dave is a little behind but with his claimer too.

 

Judi squeals and jumps up, ‘It is happening, Shelly we are going to be grandmas!’ 

Shelby looks shocked and a little white but Russell helps her up, ‘Come my loves, we have much to do.’ Russell leaves the picnic things on the lawn and leads his ladies back to the main house at speed. 

 

Sue looks from the room and sees Russell rushing across the lawn, ‘Rachel must have gone into labour.’ She says to Holly.

‘Good, she was looking uncomfortable.’ Holly is subdued, she is under the influence of a drug cocktail Marley is using to help her with the madness and confined to her room in the house, ‘You should go, support your niece.’ She instructs her claimer. 

‘I will later once they have news, for now, I think they have too many people to be of assistance don’t you.’ Sue is keeping Holly close and following all the advice of the Guru but she knows Holly is feeling suffocated by the attention. 

 

The door to the labour room hits the wall as the medics rush Rachel into the room, set up like an operating theatre and sterile they all know their jobs and how important time is. 

Quinn finishes washing her hands and puts on her mask as she practised then enters the room where Rachel is already screaming in pain, once Shelby arrives Rachel can be sedated so Quinn is willing Rachel’s mother to hurry. 

Rachel rolls onto her side to attempt to alleviate the pain she is in but she is getting no rest, Quinn is by her side and reaches out for her mate.

‘This is the last fucking time argh!’ Rachel hits out at the Gyste, Quinn tries again but feels helpless to calm her mate. 

Shelby arrives and looks on as Rachel again writhes, Quinn is stood like a statue obviously in shock, ‘Quinn, do something, don’t you dare let my daughter die Gyste!’ She shouts at the blonde to bring her back to the room. 

Quinn turns to Shelby and finally is able to get control of herself, she turns back to Rachel and despite the wriggling of the pregnant woman grasps her face in her hands.

_ Rachel, let it go now, give me the pain my love I will take care of you.  _ The pain Quinn feels almost knocks her from her feet but she recovers and begins to absorb the suffering of her mate and Rachel slowly settles. 

Quinn can feel the babies, they are becoming sentient and are keen to be born, this is the most dangerous part of the birth, if the Gyste rush to be delivered they will in panic use the tusks they are born with, this is how most human women die during the labour.

Marley enters and quickly rigs up the drip for Rachel she will sedate the young woman and hopefully calm the Gyste babies, if the children feel the mother is relaxed they should be birthed naturally but they are prepared to perform an intervention should it be needed. 

‘Thank you Marley,’ Rachel is no longer in pain as Quinn is drawing all that from her and as the medicine takes effect she begins to feel relaxed about the birth, Quinn can sense the children are calming and that the initial danger has passed but Quinn knows the babies are very close to being born so the birthing team will need to hurry this along.

 

Sam and Sebastian finish donating their blood for the babies and possibly Rachel and are leaving the room when they see the medic rush to Rachel in the other room.

‘Is she ok?’ Santana asks Sebastian.

‘Yeah, I think so it is all very fuzzy so she must have been sedated now.’ Sebastian is finding it harder to focus in on Rachel. 

‘That’s a good sign right?’ Sam asks, he didn’t feel this involved when Brit gave birth but he has ascended since then. 

‘I think she is going to be fine, Quinn is funnelling much of the discomfort for her I cannot believe she is able to do this and stay conscious.’ Sebastian can feel his twin is in extreme pain and realises she must be drawing the pain from her Mate.

‘C’mon, let’s wait in the other room, if Sam sees blood he will pass out.’ Santana moves them towards the waiting area where Russell and Judi are sat nervously with Dilas and Emmett. 

 

Marley has all she needs to be attached to Rachel now, she moves the ultrasound over the heads of the babies to check their position, ‘It is time, Rachel, I need you to push this time when they start to move, it will be painful but they are in position to be born.’ Marley watches the screen and looks for the first of the twins to make a move. 

Rachel has a wry smile which makes Shelby uncomfortable, her daughter is far calmer than she expected and the woman wonders just how good those drugs are. 

Quinn is on the edge, she is determined to keep absorbing the pain for her mate but this is so much harder than she expected, ‘Just a little more now darling.’ Rachel says to her and they stare deeply into each other’s eyes.

‘Now Rachel, push now!’ Marley says as she spots the first of the babies moving to be born.

With a wail and a scream Rachel bares down and wills the first child to be born, the head comes easily first and then the bloodied and wriggling form emerges from its mother and Rachel falls back. 

The effort to bring the first child into the world was epic and Rachel is now unconscious, Marley watches and counts in her head, ‘Ready the team, we are going in for the other one.’ She says.

‘No!’ Quinn says, ‘Wait, just Wait!’ Rachel slowly comes back round.

‘OK, again Rachel, push honey push!’ Shelby shakes the hand of her daughter she is holding to rouse her a little more. 

Rachel again screams out and the second head shows itself, this one a little slower to emerge, Marley allows Rachel to struggle for only a moment then reaches down without thinking and helps this little one ease itself clear of its mother but is not quick enough to avoid the Gyste tusks which sink into the flesh of Marley’s hand and she cries out. 

‘Shit, sorry here, let me.’ Quinn takes the head gently of her baby and allows Marley to free herself as Shelby looks on in horror, she has been warned the babies bite but until she saw it she didn’t realise just how feral a Blood Gyste child really is. 

Marley ignores the pain and blood from her own hand and spots the problem, the baby is caught on the umbilical cord and so she frees the child and it is finally free of its mother.

‘Well done Rach, just let go now relax.’ Shelby can see the blood and she is shocked there is more than she ever experienced, ‘There Rachel, Rachel?’ Shelby panics as her daughter slumps back white and lifeless.

Quinn can feel the life slipping from her mate but as her father had warned her this might happen she tries to focus, ‘Get the babies to the incubators, Marley dress that wound and send the blood in now please.’ Quinn is no longer taking the pain from Rachel she has no need Rachel is not with them at the moment, Quinn reaches over to the syringe driver and presses the first of the drugs that will help Rachel through this dangerous time.

Shelby follows the babies out of the room as they practised and takes a final look back to her daughter, she cannot think too much about it but this may be the last time she sees her alive. 

 

Russell looks to his mate, ‘They have arrived!’ He says with a broad smile.

‘Oh Russ,’ Judi is drawn close to his chest, ‘How is Rachel?’ She pleads with him.

‘I cannot feel her Mama!’ Sebastian has tears in his eyes.

‘No fucking way!’ Santana rages, ‘She ain’t going down like this!’ 

Santana would burn the world for her little friend and the Succubus is looking for war now.

‘Everyone calm down.’ Russell tries to get a little control. ‘She will be heavily sedated that is why you can’t feel her Seb, remember Marley explained all the stages.’ Russell hopes he is right because he can only imagine the reactions of Quinn and Santana if anything happens.

The room is full of very tense people while they all wait for news when the door opens it is Shelby who emerges with a smile.

‘OK two healthy little terrors, the second boy bit Marley on the way out which was quite a moment I can tell you!’ Shelby moves to Russell who hugs her tightly. ‘Quinn is dealing with Rachel now, they have begun the therapies to bring her through.’ Shelby adds.

 

‘She needs more blood Marley.’ Quinn urges her medic to act.

‘Quinn she is losing too much, I can’t stop the bleeding.’ Marley has never seen anything like this, one of the babies must have caught a vein or artery as they were born.

Quinn takes a deep breath and then makes a decision she knows is risky, ‘Is she dead?’ She asks.

Marley continues to work on the little Diva but Quinn can wait no longer,  _ Marley is she dead? Is her heart beating independently? _

The blank eyes of Marley stare at Quinn, ‘Yes she is holding on but cannot continue like this for long.

_ Get out, all of you get out! _ Quinn clears the room, she knows she has an ace up her sleeve but she only has a moment to make it work. 

_ I swear there will be no more little ones after this my love, hold on for me. _

Quinn pulls the drips from Rachel’s arm, she removes what is currently keeping Rachel alive and then makes a decision that could see Quinn executed and Rachel plunged into madness but she has to try.

The Gyste moves to the neck of her lover and allows the tusks to protrude, covering the mark on her mate she feels for the artery that will hold Rachel’s life force and when she is certain she has the right spot she bites down hard pulling deeply and then again and again.

 

Russell takes a deep stuttering breath, ‘Oh no Quinn what are you doing?’ The others in the room all look to him, Sam and Sebastian searching in the family bond for an explanation.

Judi watches her mate as he storms from the room, ‘Sebastian what is happening?’ she demands. 

‘Quinn is attempting transference.’ He says with his eyes cast down.

Shelby and Santana look baffled most of the room understands but they are not in the loop on this one. 

‘Why would she be so bloody stupid?’ Judi asks no-one and everyone.

‘She is desperate Mama.’ Sam answers as he feels Quinn. 

 

Quinn bites again, she needs to transfer enough of herself to heal Rachel, she feels in the bond again it is working and Rachel is visibly changing.

Russell tries to open the door but Quinn has locked it from the inside, ‘Quinn, stop this now!’ Russell knows if Quinn gets this wrong Rachel will be turned and Quinn will be put to death for making a changeling. ‘Quinn! QUINN!’ 

 

Rachel can feel herself coming back, she feels strong and her skin is buzzing as Quinn’s blood courses through her veins. ‘Stop!’ She manages to gasp out and Quinn immediately releases her grip.

Quinn soothes the wound and clean up the blood that has escaped, ‘Rachel!’ She weeps, ‘Oh Gods I thought I lost you, baby say something.’ 

Russell is still hammering on the door, ‘Your father is trying to smash the door in, he is going to break his hand.’ 

Quinn smiles down on her mate then moves to unlock the door and allow Russell in, ‘The fuck you thinking child, Rachel are you OK?’ Russell moves his daughter to the side and heads for the young mother to see if she is still human. 

‘I am bloody awful but still very human I promise, she is crazy you know that right?’ She jokes to her father-in-law and he hugs the girl close. 

As the moment takes over Quinn she slumps to the ground and begins to sob, curling into herself and then screaming out, feral and uncontrolled just as her children had when they were born into the world. 

Russell holds Rachel tightly, ‘Let her be, she needs to release the pressure that has been building, it’s a process and my Daughter is not immune to feeling.’ Russell looks down at his sobbing daughter, in the bond, she is wailing and cursing, Quinn may be more powerful than almost every other Gyste alive but she is still a new parent and the realization is pulling her mind apart.

 

‘Fuck Sam do something!’ Unable to shield themselves like Russell can Sebastian and Sam, along with Santana are being bombarded by the pain Quinn is sharing and the noise of her screaming is deafening.

Shelby holds onto Judi tightly and the mate to Russell looks on with some fear, ‘Quinn must be in the bond, none of them are that upset so I assume our Daughters made it into parenthood, shall we go see them now?’ 

Shelby takes a final moment to assess the room and notices for the first time how affected Dilas is, ‘Dilly, come with us, see she is ok.’ Shelby holds her hand out to the Eunuch and he moves to leave with them slightly stumbling as Quinn again screams. 

 

Baby number one is quiet, eyes closed but alert to the room. ‘I have never heard such a noise.’ Brice watches the other child closely as Baby number two screams again.

‘Put them in together.’ Sue says as she enters the room.

Marley looks up from Baby number two and takes a long look at Quinn’s Aunt, ‘Won’t they try to eat each other?’ She asks.

Sue laughs out at this, ‘Maybe but that is half the fun, Sebastian wailed for a whole day until in desperation Russell decided to feed him to Quinn.’ Sue looks down at Baby number one and smiles at the little bundle. ‘Trust me, they have only had each other so far they need to feel connected again.’ 

Brice gingerly reaches for the more quiet baby not risking his finger near the vocal child, ‘I have always liked you, Brice, you have balls kid!’ Sue jokes as Brice lays the babies together. 

As silence fills the room Sue smirks at a baffled Marley, ‘We exist in both your world and our own, we remain forever connected to the clan, they will for years to come be loyal to each other above all else.’ Sue strokes the head of the now quiet child, ‘You need to learn when to scream and when to listen if  you want to be a dominant force.’ She whispers to the newborns. 

‘They are barely an hour old and you are trying to test them?’ Holly says from the doorway, ‘Can I look?’ She is hesitant to ask.

‘Come here, remember to keep your fingers out of the way of the mouth, I bet that smarts a little right?’ Sue motions to the bandaged hand of Marley.

 

Rachel is sat up when Shelby and Judi lead Dilas into the room and she has a broad smile for them all, ‘Hey have you seen them yet?’ She asks.

‘Only when I dropped them in the medical room, they were kind of angry.’ Shelby says as she kisses her daughter’s head. 

‘Marley should bring them soon, hurry things along Russ!’ Judi says to her mate.

‘Yes, Sir!’ He salutes his wife with a smile and leaves to fetch the babies back to their mothers. 

‘Dilas do you have my bag?’ Rachel asks, ‘I think I should change.’ Rachel feels great but looks like a horror film with all the blood in the room. 

Quinn stands and moves to Shelby, ‘She is fine now, she will ache tomorrow for sure but she is safe and fine now.’ 

‘Did you have to do what you did?’ Shelby doesn’t really understand what Quinn has done and will read in the archive the moment she gets the chance so, for now, she is accepting the situation. 

‘I took a risk but I would die without her so yes I am selfish but she is here so I guess it worked.’ Quinn feels no guilt for her actions but she is aware of the great risk she took.

The door opens and Russell wheels a crib through the door with two swaddled babies quietly sleeping together, ‘Look who I have.’ He says.

‘Oh bring them here.’ Judi coos. 

Rachel feels her babies, she feels their calm and their hunger and something else, they are different somehow. ‘Rach, what’s up?’ Quinn asks her mate.

‘I don’t know they seem off somehow.’ Rachel watches her mother stroke the head of one of the babies very carefully.

‘They are perfect darling, believe me, they are just perfect.’ Shelby says smiling at her daughter who is now changed and considerably cleaner.

‘Let’s take them to the other room and leave this to the Imp’s to clean up.’ Quinn says and moves to Rachel.

‘If you try to pick me up!’ She warns her mate, Quinn smirks and grabs the little Diva in her arms and laughs when Rachel struggles in vain to free herself.

 

‘The first few days will be hard Rachel but they will bond with you I promise just be patient with them.’ Judi is watching Rachel as she spies her children with some fear.

‘I love them already,’ Rachel smiles ‘But they seem a little off don’t you think?’ She asks her mate who is still smiling.

‘Rachel you are trying too hard to bond, relax into motherhood baby, look it’s awake!’ Quinn points to the little bundle in the crib and Shelby jumps back from where she was stroking the baby.

Judi looks down and despite being human spots what Rachel is talking about, ‘Wait, look, Russ, look at the eyes.’ 

Russell lifts the now awake child and looks into its eyes. ‘Green is different.’ Russell points the baby at his mate. 

Quinn takes the baby from her father and inspects it closely, ‘Why are they so bright?’ She asks the room.

‘Because they are special.’ Holly speaks from the doorway again. ‘The eyes will calm soon but Quinn is so strong the babies are too and the eyes are ahead of their time is the best way to put it.’ Holly possibly knows more about the Gyste than all the other clans put together.

‘So are they normal?’ Rachel asks but as she does she feels a buzzing in her head and bends over to shake it off.

‘Oh no, no way I am falling for that one!’ Quinn tells the baby, ‘You won’t be getting those gnashers anywhere near my mate believe me!’ 

The baby still in the crib starts to wail again and Shelby winces at the noise, ‘Oh my, will they always do that?’ 

Judi laughs, ‘I told you how bad it was didn’t I, honestly, earbuds are your new best friend.’ 

Dilas moves closer to Quinn with a grin, ‘May I?’ He gestures to the child wailing.

‘Yes just watch your fingers, keep them swaddled.’ Quinn says examining the child she holds closely.

Dilas follows the instructions and with caution lifts baby number two out of the crib and right on cue the eyes gleam green and it snaps the tusks towards Dilas but the Eunuch is smart enough to hold the baby at bay. ‘Little one you need to learn your manners.’ Dilas scolds.

Marley comes into the room and takes in the sight of a family content, ‘I have tested them both, despite the anatomy baby number one is female.’ She announces.

‘Just like you babe.’ Rachel says as Quinn climbs onto the bed holding the baby.

‘We really are blessed.’ Sue says.

‘OK, let’s feed these little monsters and then they might get some rest.’ Quinn says.

Rachel shoves her mate in the ribs, ‘Watch who you are calling monsters Gyste!’ She says. 

Quinn stares down at her daughter and smiles, ‘You little charmer you, she is already smitten!’


	39. Chapter 39

Rachel has never been this tired before, the babies are three days old and despite Quinn feeding them almost constantly it seems they never settle, Judi and Russell are just coming to take over for a few hours to give the young couple another rest.

‘Quinn, do you think they will ever settle down?’ She whispers, the babies are quiet but watching their parents closely again with the gleaming green eyes.

Quinn just smiles her tired smile, ‘They will darling I am sure, they are watching us again aren’t they?’ She says not daring to look back. 

‘Yes!’ Rachel says pretending not to notice their gaze.

Dilas enters the room and both children begin to chatter in their own way, they are both excited to be near the Eunuch again and Quinn feels a little put out that her babies seem to like her Eunuch more than her. ‘Good, you can have them!’ She quips at him as he smiles down at the burbling bundles. 

‘I am pleased to be of assistance ma’am, you can leave them with me until your parents get here, miss Shelby is in the archive waiting for you both.’ He starts to gently rock the crib and the babies soon relax back to quietly staring about the room.

Rachel smiles at the scene, ‘Thanks Dilas, right you two behave your bad selves!’ She takes Quinn’s hand in hers, ‘C’mon mama bear lets go find names for them, I am drawn to Satan and Beelzebub myself!’ She jokes.

 

In the archive Shelby has many tomes out on the large desks, she has been searching for names fitting the babies all morning, Quinn and Rachel must make a decision as the Guru will arrive tomorrow to bless the babies and officially enter them into the archive of the Fabray clan.

When Quinn and Rachel arrive they look drained and Shelby feels for them, Judi has explained they are only taking small amounts of blood from Quinn but the lack of sleep is dragging the pair down. 

‘Ma’am, I have some coffee for you and here I made biscuits.’ Emmett is pleased with himself, Dilas is spending much of his time with the babies and so Emmett is working hard to serve his mistress. 

‘Thank you, stay a little you might have a good idea.’ Quinn says.

The foursome begins in earnest deciding on the names for the babies, number one as she is called needs a strong name they have decided, she is not a pink and fluffy girl for sure so Quinn wants her to have a strong, sharp name to match her personality. Number two is so very vocal Quinn suggested Jessie at one point, like his namesake he never shuts up but Rachel wasn’t impressed. 

‘I have narrowed some of them down, we have Ida and Alice and for number two I like Arthur and Louis,’ Shelby says.

Quinn takes the paper, ‘We agree, Ida is a good name for her but Louis is out and I don’t know Arthur is just too..’ Quinn looks for a reason.

‘Human Ma’am.’ Emmett says.

Quinn smiles, ‘Maybe Em maybe.’ 

Rachel reaches for a text again and flicks the pages, ‘Here, in the old text they talk of a warrior who took down a whole battalion to protect his sisters, Quillion, I just like the idea he would lay down his life for Ida.’ She shows Quinn the text and her mate reads the passage.

Shelby has a thoughtful look, ‘That is unusual for sure’ she comments. 

Quinn turns the book to Shelby, ‘I love it, Rach, Quillion he will live up to that.’ She kisses her mate and feels the same tingle they have shared since the babies were born again. 

Shelby finishes reading, ‘I like it, Quillion is close enough to his mother and sounds independent, he is going to be a strong leader I can feel it.’ 

‘Emmett, what do you say?’ Quinn asks the Eunuch, Dilas has already agreed to Ida.

‘Yes Ma’am, they are both very strong names, like both their mothers.’ Emmett feels proud to be here in this moment.

‘Thank fuck for that!’ Quinn jokes.

‘So do we announce it in the papers?’ Shelby asks.

‘The Guru will do that after they are written into the archive, did you call Rando to make sure he is coming?’ Rachel remembers the Vampire needs to be present bizarrely for luck.

‘He is looking forward to it I think, he seemed really pleased to be remembered.’ Quinn gazes out of the window.

Shelby follows her eyes onto the lawn, Sue and Holly are walking back from the Guru no doubt the treatment of Holly continues. 

‘You need to talk to her.’ Rachel tells her mate.

‘I know but for now, I am too happy about the babies to be brought down by those two.’ Quinn is still mad about the portals on the estate and despite telling her father Sue dealing with Holly is best she feels aggrieved the Imp isn’t being punished more, Sue allowing her back on the estate wasn’t in the script. 

‘OK but soon please.’ Rachel reiterates to Quinn her demand the children are blessed in a calm environment.

 

Kurt and Blaine are in the boathouse, they have been deep in conversation for an hour and they do not notice Elliott entering the area, he hangs back when Kurt begins to wave his arms in frustration.

‘This is a farce, she does all this to the family, she caused the deaths of those Imps and endangers Rachel and she walks the grounds free!’ He is complaining about Holly again to his claim.

Elliott falls back from the doorway to hear some more, ‘Your father is beside himself, you must say something to Quinn.’ Blaine wants Kurt to insist Quinn punish Holly and Sue for the portals. 

‘I will, I am going to demand action!’ Kurt is working himself up again.

 

Santana is in the pool, she has so far completed thirty laps and is pushing herself to complete twenty more when Sam jumps into the water.

‘Idiot!’ She gasps as he splashes her and then tries to grab the Succubus.

‘What are you doing anyway, you have been down here an hour.’ Sam says as his mate allows him to pull her close. 

‘Swimming dumbass!’ She snaps but he knows she isn’t mad at him. 

‘I mean you seem on a mission to swim the lake today.’ Sam swims well but nothing like his mate who is an expert in the water. 

Santana wraps her legs around her mate and holds him tighter. ‘Shall we fuck in the pool?’ She asks wiggling her eyebrows at him.

‘Sounds good to me!’ He says, her aura is burning and he is happy to oblige.

‘Sir!’ Manny calls from the side of the pool to Sam, Manny is an experienced Eunuch who he carefully chose to be his personal serf but he has awful timing.

Santana groans out loud, ‘He is doing this on purpose.’ she declares!

Sam ignores her annoyance and hides his, ‘What is it Manny?’ He asks the Eunuch.

‘Did you want some privacy?’ He asks innocently.

‘Fucking hell!’ Santana rants, ‘Yes Manny we want privacy, now fuck off and fold some towels!’

Manny turns to leave, he cannot remember the quarters needing towels but if his mistress wants them folded he will do it gladly.

‘You need to be nicer to him babe.’ Sam says to his testy mate. 

‘I swear you picked the most stupid Eunuch ever!’ She says.

‘Hey, I wanted one I could hold a conversation with!’ He jokes.

Santana shakes her head then moves in to kiss the Gyste, she had plans before the Eunuch blue-balled her. 

 

Judi and Russell sit in the nursery with a baby each, ‘I like Ida but what will we call this little one?’ Judi says as she holds Quillion closer than she should but the baby is sleeping. 

‘Bambi!’ Russell declares, Ida is having a small snack from her grandpa and Russell feels close to his little granddaughter in the moment.

‘Where the hell did you get Bambi from?’ Judi scowls at him.

‘Dunno, he seems to be a Bambi.’ Russell muses.

‘Father you will not be calling my son Bambi!’ Quinn says as she walks into the nursery.

‘I thought you were going for a nap?’ Judi ignores the Bambi comments.

‘Rachel has gone to lay down, I fed on Jake so I’m good for now, how much has she had?’ Quinn asks her father. 

‘Just a taste, did you make a decision?’ He enquires on the names.

‘Ida for my little girl there.’ Quinn smiles down at the nibbling girl, ‘And Quillion for you my little prince.’ She says as she takes him from her mother. 

‘Unusual.’ Judi comments, ‘I like it though, sounds important.’ 

‘That’s what we thought, he will be the protector of this hellion so he needs to sound like the most important man in the room.’ Quinn lets Quillion bite down on her wrist and he guzzles a little to keep him satisfied.

‘Are the tusks receding?’ Judi asks, she knows Quinn will be able to tell.

‘I think just a couple more days for them both, he is a little less advanced but for sure they are through this stage almost.’ Quinn moves her wrist from him and as Quillion goes to grumble she makes a face and he quiets.

‘If you need more help when they reach the milk stage I am happy to do some night feeds, I am sure Shelby feels the same.’ Judi is happy the babies are almost more human, she and Shelby cannot wait to get stuck in caring for the twins. 

‘I am trying to get Rach to accept a nanny asap, I want them to have a routine.’ Quinn is a typical Gyste parent in this, she needs structure and babies are erratic. 

‘Remember to let Rachel decide darling, don’t push her to do this she needs time to bond with them.’ Russell warns his daughter, he has been through this before and the rational Gyste can be at odds with a human mother in the first few months of a babies life. 

Andreas Antonelli stands in his penthouse suite staring out over the city, he is dressed in just his boxer shorts and has his first coffee of the morning steaming in his mug. The digital frame on the table beside him switches to a snap taken when Andreas was ten years old, he is with his mother and Father and remembers his sister taking the photo on her new camera she received from their parents the same day. Andreas has many photos of him and his family such as it is and he has on the whole good memories of those times, his friends often enquire about his mother with whom they have eaten at dinners and partied with on special occasions but none ask about Andreas’ father because the tall blonde man is no longer a daily presence in the life of either sibling.

Andreas is a success, his life is made easier by his father’s powerful clan but the achievements are all his own and he feels independent, unfortunately, he is about to need the support of his clan and this plays on his mind this morning. 

On the kitchen side is a letter of removal he has received from his employers this morning, locked out of the business and banned from his office he knows what could come next could end his career in finance and bankrupt him. 

Andreas moves to pick up his phone, he called his mother as soon as the letter arrived hand-delivered this morning, she has no interest in trading or the wealth it has brought her son, she lives the life of an academic and as such is frugal with what she has, Andreas lives in a world where sports cars and holidays are signs of success and can garner trust from clients. 

Andreas dials the number of his father and waits for the answer to come in when the call is answered Andreas is surprised to hear a female voice, ‘Russell Fabray.’ Shelby answers the phone Russell left on the bed this morning when he left with Judi to attend the twins.

‘Good morning, to whom am I speaking, I am Andreas Antonelli, I was hoping to speak with my father personally.’ Andreas remembers having many conversations with Phillip over the years, it was always Phillip who made the arrangements for Russell to meet with his son. 

‘Oh, well Russell isn’t here right now, I can have him call you back but he is with his grandbabies right now.’ Shelby avoids revealing who she is, if she is honest she actually feels a little embarrassed at this moment in time. 

‘Right, who had children this time?’ Andreas asks, he doubts it is one of the other claims if Russell is with them, it must be a child of Judi. 

‘Shall I have him call you?’ Shelby is on edge not wishing to speak out of turn, if the son of Russell didn’t know Rachel was pregnant she doubts Russell called when the babies were born.

‘Yes, I would appreciate that, if I may press you to make him understand the urgency of a call.’ If this woman is more than an Imp servant he doesn’t want to insist she gets her finger out of her ass and find his father for him.

‘I will, good day Andreas.’ Shelby hangs up and Andreas returns to starring out of the window. 

The city below has been his playground since he was just a teenager, his rise through the ranks of the largest Varity vampire banks was helped by his father but he alone proved he was good at his job, he just hopes now his father has enough value still to save him from a prison sentence or worse.

Russell and Judi are chattering together when they enter the chamber, Judi is obviously pleased by the names chosen for her grandchildren and Shelby looks somewhat nervous about the call earlier. 

‘Shell, what is it?’ Russell asks as soon as he sees his claim, she is tense he feels it flowing from her and she looks a little white to the Gyste.

‘You had a call while you were with Quinn.’ Shelby moves towards Russell with the phone like it will reveal the conversation to him without her having to. ‘Andreas called, he says it is important you call him back, he sounded very upset.’ 

‘Was he rude to you?’ Russell asks, is this why she is tense, he will speak sternly to his true Gyste son if he was.

‘No, not at all he was very polite but he was clear about the call being returned urgently.’ Shelby glances to Judi who has an unreadable expression.

‘OK, I will return the call, you two continue to lunch I will be with you presently.’ Russell tries to mask his annoyance, Andreas made clear his wish to be separated from the clan and his arguing with Judi always caused the couple an atmosphere. 

Judi turns without speaking and leaves the room, ‘Go with her, she can explain her mood to you better than I, everything is ok trust me.’ Russell says to the obviously nervous claim.

When he is alone Russell takes a breath and returns the call from his errant son.

‘Dad?’ Andreas picks up too quickly.

‘Andreas is there a problem son you don’t usually call.’ Russell has struggled the most with Andreas and Quinn when trying to form a relationship, his other children were easy to work out but Quinn is an enigma to everyone and Andreas resents his clan and the relationship Russell has with his mother. 

‘Brice Varity has terminated my employment, he is going to investigate my trading and expects me to remain in the city for questioning.’ Andreas fills Russell in concisely. 

Russell takes a moment, he expected fallout from the vote but if he were honest he had forgotten all about the connection between the banking Vamp family and his son. ‘I am afraid he is a sore loser, will this cause you financial hardship in the short-term?’ Russell asks in his business manner.

‘You did understand what I said, he is going to investigate me, this means in Vamp terms he is going to fit me up and have me imprisoned.’ Andreas allows his voice to rise and the tone becomes harsh.

‘Need I remind you of your manners.’ Russell snaps.

On the other end of the phone, Andreas hangs his head in submission. ‘No Sir, sorry I am very nervous.’ He makes his excuse.

‘If this was any of my other children I would have a Eunuch sent to collect you and return you to the estate but I doubt you want that.’ Russell feels somewhat helpless.

‘For now Sir I would prefer not to run like I am guilty, my accounts have been frozen and I have no idea how far the Varity clan will go to cause me embarrassment.’ Andreas imagines his name is already being tarnished by the Vamp clan and his integrity will be zero by the end of the day.

‘Very well, I shall send cash over with Phillip, speak with him about any other needs you have, I have lawyers on retainer in the city and the firm will be put at your disposal.’ Russell tries to think of any other help Andreas will accept. ‘Is the penthouse mortgaged?’ He asks.

‘No Sir, paid in cash as you always taught us, never owe a vampire right?’ He replies and Russell smiles, his son is smart.

‘Good, Phillip will be with you in an hour I shall send legal help with him, we can get on top of this.’ Russell takes a moment, Sebastian is close he can feel him and Russell wonders whether his son is spying on him. ‘Son, be honest with Phillip if you have worries about anything you have done tell him, the clan cannot support you without your full story do you understand?’ To Russell’s knowledge, Andreas has always been honest in his work but there is always a chance he may have strayed.

‘I will Sir but I assure you I am guilty of breaking no laws.’ Andreas is about to end the call but curiosity gets the better of him, ‘Who has given you grandchildren this time?’ He asks.

‘Quinn and her Mate Rachel have just birthed their first twins, Ida and Quillion, you can imagine the house is a happy place right now.’ Russell beams with pride at the mention of the newborns. 

‘Congratulations Sir, I pray they are blessed.’ Andreas is honest with his words, despite his dislike of the system, he is still a Fabray at heart. 

‘Thank you, wait for Phillip and leave for no-one, Son we can sort all this out.’ Russell is plotting his revenge on the Vamp clan already for daring to attack his family this way.

 

Shelby remains quiet on the way down to lunch, by the time she and Judi reach the conservatory the silence is deafening.

‘It isn’t that I didn’t know he existed, it’s no secret Russell has other children with other claims, Andreas and his sister have always gotten under my skin and I cannot honestly say why.’ Judi speaks in a tone that almost sounds bored but Shelby can feel the hurt in her words.

‘I find it hard to understand, all of it even me and Russell.’ Shelby says as the pair sit.

‘You are easy for me to accept, I think I fell in love with you the same as Russell.’ Judi says and Shelby looks closely at her friend but Judi shakes her head, ‘I don’t mean sexually, I just mean you and I are so well matched together and you are truly my best friend that is seemed so very natural.’ 

‘Did you not feel like this with the others?’ Shelby asks.

‘No never, Russell’s other claims were a byproduct of his position before, he was expected to be powerful and by taking claims he proved how wealthy the clan was, no until you I never formed any real kind of friendship with any of the claims and Louisa never bonded with the clan.’ Judi looks up to see her mate enter.

‘Louisa is a lecturer at the university, she was always an academic and far brighter than me, she will always be a thorn in my side but for good reasons, she kept me honest and Judes you know Andreas and Marion have lived their own lives like their mother wanted.’ Russell sits next to his mate and begins to push his aura at her to show his love for her.

‘What about me?’ Russell and Judi look at Shelby, ‘Will you want me to have children for you?’ Shelby has been wondering this ever since the day in the Archive when Rachel brought up the other claims.

‘Do you want children?’ Russell asks.

Judi looks at her friend with kind and open eyes, ‘If you wanted children born of love I would welcome them into our lives like they were my own.’ 

‘I don’t know, really I don’t know, the grandbabies are more than enough at the moment.’ Shelby is honest in her words but Russell feels her yearning, he says nothing though. 

‘Well, if you change your mind I am happy to oblige.’ He says moving his eyebrows to lighten the mood.

‘We know how obliging you are!’ Judi joins in on the joking and the threesome let the conversation go.

 

Ida is watching Quinn again and Quinn is keeping her eye on her daughter,  _ You can stare all you want little one, I am always going to be here.  _

Rachel jolts awake from her nap, ‘What?’ She asks hearing Quinn in the bond woke her with a start.

‘Sorry, I was telling our daughter I can see her.’ Quinn moves Quillion away from Rachel a little as he too wakes. 

‘Oh, when will she stop staring at us like that, I hate it!’ Rachel admits she is struggling to bond just like Judi told her she would.

Quillion screams out, he feels his twin close and his mothers are near, he is desperate to be closer to Rachel not realising human mother still fears her son.

‘Right on cue.’ Quinn says and moves the boy to her arm, she is tired beyond anything she has ever experienced but she continues to give of herself for her babies unselfishly.

Quillion mouths down on his Gyste mother's arm but no tusks protrude, he gums and sucks but nothing, Quinn looks down confused at the little bundle, ‘He has no teeth.’ She is baffled, he should have tusks for a couple more days but in the bond, she reaches to him and the Gyste is gone.

‘Ida is still toothy.’ Rachel watches his sister as she flashes her tusks as if threatening her mother. 

‘No, the Gyste is gone, I mean for Quillion, his teeth have receded.’ Quinn picks the child up and opens his mouth as he protests as best he can, ‘No all clear!’ Quinn smiles, he is more advanced than she thought. 

Rachel looks closely in the mouth of her son but all she sees is gums and no sign of the sharp protruding tusks that were there this morning. She reaches to him and pulls him in close to her for the first time without fear, the baby soon settles and quiets, feeling the aura of his mother is calming to him and he begins to bask in the feeling of the human parent.

Ida screeches and Quillion looks up at Rachel, ‘His eyes, they are brown.’ Rachel points the little face towards Quinn in excitement and Quillion growls out at being removed from her chest. 

‘He is going to be a mummy’s boy Rach for sure, the gyste is quiet now he will just be a regular little human monster for a few years now.’ Quinn smiles and then scoops Ida into her arms, ‘You are falling behind princess, don’t let him get the upper hand!’ Quinn jokes but Ida is snapping.

‘I guess we have one each for now.’ Rachel says, the feeling of Quillion close to her heart is filling her with love, she knows now she will adore her babies and despite Ida feeding greedily from the arm of Quinn, she knows they both need her now. 


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fallout from the vote begins and the Vamp clans begin to squeeze the Imp clans, one person decides to stand up for what he believes in but has he just become a willing pawn to the vamp plans?...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone but due to tiredness and a slow internet connection on a camping trip I think some of the chapters have become confused, please take the time to re-read chapter 37, 38 and 39 to get the full picture of the what I am writing.
> 
> Again I apologize and hope this hasn't ruined it for anyone, I need to have a free week to do nothing but write and edit but no-one seems to agree lol
> 
> Thanks for all your support with this series I am close to completing and have a couple of endings I am playing with, do you want tragic or happy, I cannot decide I only know my mind will take me where it will.
> 
> Happy reading x x Kim

Jack Zool watches from the shadows like he has been forced to most of his adult life, in the distance, he spots his target.

Nathan Brown is an Imp farmer, he farms corn and carrots and today he is in the city to arrange a loan from the Varity bank to expand his manufacturing now he has a hundred new acres to work. Nathan is a quiet man, he has four children all under ten and his wife works all the hours they have on the farm carrying the children with her to save on childcare, the Brown family are not well off but they are not poor either.

Jack moves quickly as Nathan hands the keys to his truck for the valet to park, he knows they will leave it on the street as it doesn’t fit in the parking structure of the bank and he laughs to himself. From the corner of his eye, he sees a Eunuch approaching him, dressed in traditional white clothing and moving quickly.

Jack pulls they vial from the pocket of his stolen clothing and rushes the startled Imp, ‘For freedom, you must die!’ Jack shouts so that the valet can hear as he breaks the vial and plunges it into Nathan’s neck.

In the commotion, Jack finds his way back to the sewer and safety leaving Nathan to stumble to the curb clutching his neck in shock.

The last moments of Nathan life are filled with fear, his skin is burning, his face swelling and his eyes are swollen shut, he is crying out in pain and writhing but no-one will assist the ailing Imp, the sight of his reddening skin and swollen features keeps away anyone who might help him in his final moments and he dies alone and scared on the street before the Varity clan’s flagship building.

 

Jane West lazily reaches for her phone when it rings out, ‘Domus West.’ She answers.

On the other end of the line is a bizarre tale of a Eunuch attacking an Imp outside a bank in the city, she makes a few notes for the address and the time of the incident and when she hangs up on the call she looks into the distance.

Jane collects her tools for an investigation and grabs her coat to head to the scene, on the way she will pick up a junior to take notes for her but she sees no reason to alert Leroy Berry of the incident despite the strange nature of the crime so far.

 

Andrea Varity looks from her window at the bank to the pavement below, on hearing of an attack she had her security clear the area and remove any weapons until she has her people check it out. The Domus will arrive soon and there will be little for them to see, the accounts of Nathan Brown have been topped up to show he was getting on better than reality but to also move any suspicion from the vamp clan too.

‘Who was it?’ Brice asks as he moves into the window space.

‘An Imp farmer, no-one special he was coming in for a loan on his shitty little farm.’ Andrea is unimpressed by Nathan and his business, he and his wife were low-level clients, the few thousand they were coming in to beg for today would have been granted because if they failed to repay Andrea and Brice would just repossess all they own and ruin them.

Brice turns from the window, already bored. ‘Did you clean it all up down there?’ He asks as he moves the papers on his mates' desk.

‘Of course, I did, the fucking Domus will be here soon and I want them away from this building, we have business to do and an Imp laying on the curb is not the image I want for us.’ Andrea despises the Domus interfering in their empire.

 

When Jane arrives she immediately spots the telltale signs of a vampire cover-up, she is used to it they hate to be held responsible for anything and even if they have nothing to do with the dead Imp they will interfere as best they can.

‘Do you have all the photos you need?’ Jane asks the Doctor in charge, she looks at the swollen bloated face of the Imp on the pavement and screws up her face in horror, he is unrecognisable.

Looking up at the windows above her she wonders how many witnesses they may have been in the offices behind her but she suspects no-one will have seen anything.

‘Check that building across the street to CCTV and take it all, put a call out for dashcam footage also, someone caught this is their camera I just know it.’ Jane is aware of the money in this area of the city, that means high-end vehicles and high-end security in the stores across from the Varity bank.

‘Domus West, the autopsy will take place once we have a secure location, this looks like a toxin and we cannot risk the Domus.’ The Doctor follows the protocol for a possible infection.

‘Where is the closest secure lab?’ She asks as she spots a group of youths gathering on the steps.

‘We will request the Fabray clan grant us access, they have the only lab capable of dealing with this in the city, otherwise we need to transport him to the army facility in the outlands.’ The Doctor will be happy to work in the Fabray building, he is excited to get inside the state of the art medical floor he has only heard about.

‘Fuck it, is there nowhere else?’ Jane asks but the face of the Doctor tells her she is out of luck, using the labs at the Colonial building will bring Leroy into the investigation and she could do without him looking over her shoulder.

Jack hears back from his spies at the scene, the group of kids gathering at the vamp building are conspicuous but it is Jane investigating so he isn’t as careful as he could be, she will fill him in on all the details later anyway.

When he learns the body is to be taken to the Fabray building he curses his luck, the medical team there will work out the cause of the Imp’s death much faster than the regular Domus doctors could.

‘Can we get anyone inside with the body.’ He asks on the phone.

Jack shakes his head at the cowards that surround him, no-one is prepared to follow the body into the colonial building for fear of infection.

 

Leroy is in his office reading the first draft of the travel law when Jane returns from the scene to update him, she hates how he micromanages her and resents he is not as interested in her colleagues.

‘What happened today?’ He asks barely looking at her as she sits without waiting to be asked.

‘Looks like a poisoning case, the Fabray labratory will deal with the body overseen by our medical team.’ Jane sees what he is reading, she hasn’t seen the new law yet.

Leroy looks up, ‘Make sure you thank Quinn personally, it is good form.’ Leroy enjoys the annoyance in her expression.

‘Of course Sir, I am sure Quinn would be pleased to help the Domus as always.’ Jane is sarcastic and leaves the room not waiting for Leroy to react.

 

After a full day with a late finish Jane stops by her local take-out and waits for her order to be called, she likes plain food if she is honest but after a day like today she will branch out and have the spicey beef this place does best.

Jane lets her mind wander over the case of the day, so far the test results are on hold while the Fabray boffins finish decontaminating the body.

She is never baffled by a case, some are easily solved and these usually involve Vampires who are the worst at covering their track but she enjoys the hunt when she is thrown a curve ball.

The attacker was wearing the clothes of a Eunuch but none have been found naked in the city so she is going to struggle to find the owner, only Eunuch attached to a clan wear individual clothing those in training are given a basic wardrobe which is manufactured centrally.

Jane was initially pulled towards this being a Vamp attack, the use of a chemical is common as where a Vamp cannot feel the intended victim die they like to watch them suffer. The attacker didn’t hang around to enjoy the killing so a Vamp attack is highly unlikely.

Gyste would never hurt a Eunuch out of service, once a clan takes a Eunuch they are treated like a pet or possession and they would be dealt with behind closed doors, the open nature of the attack suggests the Gyste are not involved.

When the small woman behind the counter calls Jane with her order she stands and collects her briefcase, thanking her host she leaves the restaurant and makes her way to the underground station that will deliver her to her apartment building.

Jack pulls himself through the gap he always uses to access Jane’s building and then drags his bag into the room, he has the clothes he wore to carry out his attack and wonders if Jane would see the irony of placing the washbag in her laundry service outside her apartment. He checks the corridor on the CCTV inside the apartment and seeing it is clear leaves to dispose of his disguise.

Once back inside he noses about the space, he isn’t spying on her he likes to dig into other people’s lives.

Once inside her building and in the lift which will take her to the twelth floor where she makes her home Jane begins to mentally unwind, she will take a bath and leave the case of the day behind her.

Jane spots the telltale signs of Jack Zool as soon as she enters the apartment, he rifles in her drawers and he rarely closes anything properly. ‘Jack, so nice to see you.’ Jane ignores him as she moves to the kitchen to lay out her food, she will offer him some but he will turn it down as he always does.

‘You had a tough day?’ He calls from the living area where he is watching her tv.

Once Jane has made her plate and fetched herself a drink to go with her meal and makes her way into the lounge to face Jack and his latest ranting.

‘I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow and want to have a long bath before I turn in so make it quick Jack.’ Jane would regret ever becoming involved in the rebels but she has a goal that needed their help so for now she will tough it out.

‘The Imp killed today you are investigating was killed with a Vamp serum, they have a stockpile of these weapons, follow the vial all the way back and you will find yourself in the center of the Vamp high council.’ Jack knows where he got the poison from but he knows Jane loves a hunt.

‘What makes you think I want to be in the middle of something like that?’ Jane pokes at her food, suddenly a spicy meal seems a mistake.

‘Because you love a mystery and if the Vamp elders are manufacturing weapons of this nature illegally you will gain all the credit for the collar.’ Jack is getting mad, does he always need to spell things out to this bitch.

‘If the vamps wanted the Imp dead why do it outside their own building, why not make it simple like they usually do, the Vamp high council would never give the OK for such a blatant crime in the city.’ Jane reasons with Jack waiting for him to go off on a rant about the unfair nature of the system.

‘I killed the Imp, with a vial from the weaponary of the Princeson clan.’ Jack looks pleased with himself but Jane isn’t impressed with his bluster.

‘Are you an idiot?’ She asks but doesn’t wait for an answer. ‘You use a dress of a Eunuch to cover your face but you are obviously not a Eunuch to even a disinterested bystander, the vial may well be from the head of the Vampire clans himself but I am never going to get close enough to find out, they will work out which of their chemical weapons carried out the killing and have it all destroyed or removed to the old world and out of my reach.’ Jane watches the coggs slowly turn in Jack’s mind, ‘All the Vamps will do is offer the Domus a sacrificial culprit and bury the hard evidence, seriously Jack did you really think this would lead me to the Vampire clan that made it?’

Jack hate this woman, he prays everyday for a new spy inside the Domus but by their very nature they are loyal to the system, ‘So you are telling me you have no power to punish the guilty if the guilty is a Vamp, what happened to justice for all?’ Jack mocks the proverb of the Domus.

‘All that will come of this is you will have another clan to look over your shoulder at, to make all this worse you fucking moron because you carried this out inside the city limits they body has been moved to the Colonial building owned by Quinn Fabray, she will quickly spot the set up and be back on the trail of the rebels.’ Jane hates him, he is not the leader she thought he was when she went to the rebels to offer her help.

‘I have put this on a plate for you, I even have a name that you can use when searching the Vampire clans, you have everything you need in that envelope to draw a straightline back to the Princeson high-blood family and have them censured, you lack the desire I need to bring about change!’ Jack has had enough now, she is useless to him, this would have exposed the vampire clan to the Domus and started a chain reaction but she is too dumb to see it.

‘Just get out Jack, bring me something I can actually use or stay the fuck away from me, I am better served by the Imp rebels in all this anyway.’ Jane raises her voice to shrill levels.

‘So be it, you lose either way.’ Jack says cryptically and makes his way from the room.

Once Jane is certain he has left she opens the envelope, the paper the information is printed on is high-end and looks old, Vamp in origin but Jane doubts she will be lucky enough to trace the source.

On the page is a list of ingredients for the poison and the DNA profile of the chemical, Jane will look into the make-up of the vial tomorrow anyway but this paper will remain locked away here in her apartment for safety.

With her meal ruined Jane decides wine and a bath will surfice for her evening now Jack has put a spanner in her original plans.

 

The body of Nathan Brown lays on the cold steal of the Fabray morgue, he is lifeless but not without value.

Holly circles the corpse a few times then returns to the computer she is working on, the poison used to kill this Imp is obviously Vampirie in origin but Holly doubts a Vampire carried out this attack, the wearing of the Eunuch robes means the culprit needed to remain off the cameras that surround the Varity building so obviously the attacker is known to the Domus or the vampire clan.

Holly punches in a few more numbers and the outcome is always the same, Quinn will be angry she has interfered but she has a role within the Fabray company and this is the only way she will work herself back into the good graces of the Dominant Gyste.

 

Petra lays in her bed, she isn’t tired or hungry she just needed time alone, she expected her plan would have worked so much better than it has but she has more in the pipeline so if at first she does not succeed she will kill another and another until the High-council are helpless to stop her and Marcus. In the back of Petra’s thoughts is always Quinn Fabray and her downfall, the vial worked better than she had hoped on the Imp, now to test it on a Gyste, a blood Gyste would be preferred but she only has a true Gyste at her disposal, the ego of the Fabray family have again given Petra an opportunity.


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Russell must face the past and accept his son into his home but he has a mate and she might not be able to adjust...

The twins are now two weeks old, the tusks have receded on both of them and Rachel is fully bonded with the pair, she feels maybe a little closer to Quillion but she would never play favorites.

As the babies lay in their cribs Rachel prepares their feeds for the day ahead, she will for the first time leave the house and the babies in the care of their grandparents, Quinn is very relaxed about it as usual but Rachel is a new mom and this separation is hard for her. 

Sebastian knocks lightly on the door not wanting to wake the twins if they are sleeping, ‘Come.’ Rachel calls out and he knows the babies are awake.

‘Hey, I came for a cuddle.’ Sebastian wiggles his eyebrow.

‘They are both here and happy, you can give little Q some of the goop Marley prepares if you want, he hates it but you might be able to trick him he likes you.’ Rachel smiles down at her daughter who now watches with grey-green eyes as Quinn has. 

‘I am the man for the job.’ Sebastian jokes and scoops Q from his crib much to the delight of the Gyste, baby Gyste are very tactile and like nothing more than to be held, Quinn and Rachel have learned to be strict with them or both the babies will cry for attention at the slightest opportunity. ‘Hello, there little Q!’ Sebastian greets his nephew with his best manners, Quinn insists the babies are shown respect at all times hoping they will return the favor when they are old enough. 

Quilion smiles and gurgles at his uncle his chocolate eyes mirror his human mother, Sam is calming to the baby but Sebastian is thrilling to the twins, they buzz inside with the energy he emits when they are close to him. Reaching for the syringe from Rachel he tips and dips the boy laughing along as he does, Quillion is in heaven, his uncles holds him tightly and the baby feels safe then Sebastian quickly pops the goop into the mouth of the baby and before Quillion realizes he has swallowed his vitamins for the day.

‘He shoots he scores!’ Sebastian throws Q in the air and whoops at his success. 

Rachel smiles along, Ida has had her goop already but Quillion was being stubborn so Seb stepping in has been a great help, ‘He adores you, they both do.’ She comments.

‘How could they not, who’s your favorite uncie?’ Sebastian coos and then reaches for Ida to have her join the party.

Rachel finishes the travel bags for the twins, they will be spending the day on the other side of the house with Russell and Shelby mostly alone because Judi is coming with Quinn and Rachel into the city.

‘Rach have you finished? Oh hey Seb.’ Quinn says, she is ready for the city and is impatient to get moving,  she has only one meeting at the colonial building but it is the start of her returning to her life on the council and she is a little ashamed that she has missed it. 

‘Yes, here take these Seb and I will bring the little ones.’ Rachel holds out the bags for the babies and Quinn pauses, where Dilas has gotten to she doesn’t know so she takes the bags and heads for her Father’s wing of the house. 

 

Judi laughs out at Russell dancing, he is telling a story to Shelby about how he had to calm Sam when he was a baby. The three of them are getting along better than ever, they have not revisited the idea of Shelby having a child but they have all thought of it in private. 

‘Quinn is on her way, oh she is in a hurry Quel surprise!’ Russell declares. 

‘I feel more for Rachel, she doesn’t want to leave them you know.’ Shelby was never away from her children at that age, she was tasked with raising the children almost alone until they were old enough to be educated by their surrogate families and clans. 

‘I know but for a Gyste mate there are many things that will keep her from them, she needs to toughen up a little I think.’ Judi isn’t being harsh she knows to a Gyste the birth of a child is important but the mate of a Gyste will always come first, she has spoken to Rachel about how the jealousies Quinn feels can multiply if she feels neglected by her mate. 

‘I get it but it is hard, Rachel hasn’t spoken about Jessie in an age.’ Shelby says. 

 

Quinn is ahead of the babies and their transport as she heads for her father’s chambers, Phillip comes round a corner and almost knocks into her. ‘Hey hold up where is the fire?’ She asks the Eunuch.

‘Sorry Ma’am, I have a message for your father.’ Phillip explains briefly but he needs to speak with his master in private.

‘He is in charge of my children today Phillip, that comes first!’ Quinn warns the Eunuch.

‘Yes, Ma’am.’ Phillip makes haste to his master before Quinn digs about in his head for more information. 

‘Quinn relax, your father has promised the day with them.’ Rachel and Sebastian catch up with Quinn and Rachel taps in on the mood of her mate. 

_ I know, he has been so good with them but he needs to remember they are my children and I expect his complete attention.  _ Quinn slips into the bond and both Rachel and Seb nod along. 

 

Russell and Phillip are in a private room talking when Quinn opens the door to his chambers and strides in leading her Mate and children. Judi smiles, Quinn always has an air of importance about her but when she is with her babies she is off the scale with pride. 

‘What did Phillip want?’ Quinn asks her mother as she places the bags on the floor by the sofa where Shelby is sat. 

‘No idea, your father called him into the other room straight away.’ Judi reaches for Ida from Rachel as soon as the child is close. ‘There we go, mama needs to relax, yes she does.’ Judi teases the baby who smiles brightly. 

‘He needs to focus on my children, Shelby can’t do it all alone.’ Quinn says and Shelby rolls her eyes.

‘I have looked after children and babies before Quinn.’ Shelby mocks.

‘Not mine though!’ Rachel buts in. 

Sebastian hands off little Q to his other grandma and watches his sister closely, he knows Quinn is trying to focus on their father and Sebastian wonders how often she does this to the family.  _ Sister mine, don’t overstep on father.  _

Quinn turns to her brother, ‘I know brother.’ the rest of the room not privy to the bond wonder what Quinn means.

Russell comes from the other room with a smile that is false to the Gyste in the room but enough to fool even his mate, ‘Hey there!’ He moves to Ida and steals her from Judi, ‘You are leaving us to galavant about town so don’t hog the bundles!’ He says to his mate.

_ Dad, what is it?’  _ Quinn asks him unbeknownst to the humans in the room. 

_ A problem with Andreas, he has been arrested, Seb go to the Domus and deal with this for me, take Phillip and legal to help you, I want him here on this estate by the end of the day, make sure the Domus who arrested him knows this.  _ Russell is pissed and both Quinn and Sebastian can feel the anger he has.

Sebastian says nothing more, kisses the babies and heads out on his fathers’ word to sort the mess at the Domus.

_ Who has arrested him?  _ Quinn asks.

_ Let Sebastian find out more then we will deal with the problem, they have overstepped here mark my words I will not have these games played with my children.  _ Russell is unusually open about his claim’s family, Quinn never usually hears him talk of them nor does he bring his blood-Gyste children into any dealings with Andreas or Marion. 

Quinn turns to her mate, ‘Rach we need to get going, Cassie will be pissed if you keep her waiting.’ 

‘OK, one more kiss little ones.’ Rachel moves to the twins again and smooches with her babies one last time before heading out with Quinn and Judi.

 

Andreas knew this was coming but still, he is stunned the Domus actually had enough brass balls to arrest the son of a high-blood clan leader on such trumped-up charges, Andreas has been working hard since he was terminated at the Varity trading bank to cover all his mistakes. 

The window in the steel door is opened and a face peers through, ‘Do you have everything you need sir?’ The low-level Domus guard asks, he is careful with Andreas after all Russell Fabray is more than capable of snapping his neck.

‘Apart from my freedom you mean?’ Andreas is snarky, he should not be here and the Domus idiot who came to arrest him has made a career-ending mistake.

‘Yes Sir, would you like anything to eat or drink?’ The guard tries again to please his ward. 

‘Sparkling water, bottle of, unopened, a slice of lime and some cheese crackers.’ Andreas turns his back on the door doubtful he will get what he has asked for.

After the window closes he drops his head to his hands and silently sobs, Vampire clans value wealth over everything and to be accused of stealing from one of the oldest clans in the country spells more trouble that Andreas can imagine.

 

Andrew Lire stands in his office with his head in his hands just as the Gyste he has arrested is doing two floors down, the name Andreas Antonelli meant nothing to Andrew when the case dropped in his lap, he thought it would be an easy way to curry favor with the Varity clan and possibly gain him some extra holiday time from Leroy. Now though as he reads the booking sheet fully from downstairs he is imagining this case might end him, how did he not know Andreas was a son of Russell Fabray? Andrew looks again at the form, it would not be impossible for a suspect to lie about their heritage hoping to be released but here before him is all he needs to prove Andreas is no liar. 

Andrew has no idea how Andreas has been allowed to use his mother’s name and not his father’s nor can Andrew understand why a child of the Fabray clan would want to go by another name.

‘Sir, there is a member of the Fabray clan to see you.’ Andrews’ assistant comes quietly into the room unaware of the timebomb sitting in the cells below. 

‘Who did they send?’ Andrew asks if Russell was here the assistant would have announced his arrival.

‘Sebastian Fabray Sir, I believe he is Quinn’s twin.’ The assistant has never met Sebastian before and knows only of Quinn by reputation.

Andrew relaxes a little, Sebastian, as far as he knows is not Russell’s favored son, Quinn has not sent her hand to stand for her so Andreas isn’t part of the inner circle, things might not be as bad as he feared, ‘Make him wait while you make me coffee then show him in.’ Andrew arranges the files and the charges he has ready for Andreas so that he can thwart any attempt by Sebastian to derail the investigation.

 

Quinn and Rachel arrive at the theatre where Cassie has arranged a meeting with the press right on time, Quinn leads her mate into the foyer where flashbulbs go off and a bustling scene plays out. In the front of the crowd is Jessie, smiling and posing for the cameras, Cassie stands to the side with her usually stern face making notes of all the questions being called to her thrall. 

Quinn is not sure she should disturb the press but Cassie spots the couple and calls them towards her without making the mistake of pointing at the Gyste or her mate.

Rachel is buzzing beside her Gyste mate, the photographers and the journalists all make her tingle with excitement which Quinn can feel in the bond, as they approach the vampire she smiles and then sends someone to Jessie. 

‘Quinn, my word motherhood suits you, and Rachel, exquisite as ever.’ Quinn would have in the past bristled with jealousy and anger at the obviously flirtatious greeting from the vampire but she has grown and stays relaxed.

‘Cassandra, what a turnout for just an announcement.’ Quinn is not comfortable in the limelight and would never have the press to one of her meetings.

‘My darling Gyste, in this business we build the desire for our artiste to judge what best to record next.’ Cassandra is an expert at this game, she has the public eating out of the palm of her hand for Jessie and everything he does. ‘If I may suggest you join him, Rachel, it will be good for your image.’ 

Rachel looks a little shy at Quinn who rolls her eyes,  _ Darling if you wish to forge a career for yourself in this business you would be mindful of Cassie’s advice, you have my blessing little one. _ Quinn kisses the cheek of her claim.

When Rachel leaves to join with Jessie talking enthusiastically about music and performances Cassie feels Quinn looking at her, ‘Do all Gyste talk in their heads like you can?’ Cassie inquires whilst Quinn is seemingly relaxed enough to talk.

‘I haven’t met enough Gyste to give you an answer.’ Quinn as always evades the question but Cassie is like a dog with a bone.

‘I get it, in the olden days we all hid our abilities from different clans to help when we went to war but that was hand to hand combat Quinnie surely in these modern times circus tricks are less of a weapon that oh I don’t know, the Fabray family arsenal.’ Cassie smirks but Quinn can read her open mind and she means no malice towards the Blood-Gyste. 

‘All Blood families have a familial bond, we can feel the emotions of family members, some but mainly just the dominant members of a family can project their thoughts through this bond, like a circus magician I guess.’ Quinn has told Cassie nothing she didn’t already know but something about the admission makes Cassie relax a little more in the company of the Gyste. 

‘I have fifteen thralls, none of which I have taken the free will of, my parents disowned me after I took my second thrall and put her through college they said I was an embarrassment to the family name but hey.’ Cassie rolls her shoulders to show she doesn’t care anymore. 

‘What is your clan?’ Quinn realizes she doesn’t know where Cassie hails from. 

‘My father was Ludo Mason, he fell under a train at a naming ceremony, it was awful and I was heartbroken.’ Cassie uses a monotone to tell the tale which Quinn knows means she was neither heartbroken nor bothered in the slightest.

‘So are you related to Rando?’ Quinn asks because they are alone and having a moment.

‘Yes distantly, we were very close friends when we were young and that just followed through for us, we fuck occasionally and we always meet for high-days and holidays as they say.’ Cassie turns abruptly and Quinn follows her movement, a reporter from the Globe is too close to Jessie for Cassie’s liking and the Vamp moves in a flash. ‘Not so close to the talent there buddy!’ Cassie shows her eyes to the man and he backs off holding his hands in submission. 

Quinn watches the events unfold, Rachel moved quickly back to her side and Jake moved to stand in the way of the trouble, ‘It’s ok Jake, let the Vamps deal with it she is safe with them.’ Quinn smiles at Cassie, she has a strange admiration for this woman, Cassie sleeps about, has so many bad habits it is ridiculous and has a reputation for taking no prisoners to protect and promote her musical and acting prodigies but Quinn finds her endearing. 

‘Sorry about that Mistress Quinn.’ Jessie bows dramatically, ‘They clamor a little too much sometimes, poor boy just wanted a few words but Cassandra has strict rules.’ Jessie nods in submission to Rachel too. 

‘Never mind Jessie, I trust your claimer to care for Rachel and Jake would have stepped up if he lunged for Rachel.’ Quinn watches as Cassie ends the gathering and moves back to Jessie. 

‘Darling you were wonderful.’ She tells the singer. 

‘Thank you, do we have a backer for the next project?’ Jessie asks.

‘Possibly by tonight, now Quinn will you do me the honor of joining us for some lunch?’ Cassie asks.

Quinn nods, ‘I would be delighted.’ The Gyste says and takes Rachel by the hand following Cassie and Jessie towards the bistro on the corner.

 

Sebastian has made mental notes on the length of time he has been kept waiting, in the outer office Phillip and the legal team including a high Imp lawyer wait on his word and he is becoming testy at the waiting when Andrew come to the door. ‘Mr. Fabray, do come in.’ Andrew attempts to sound aloof but like Quinn Sebastian has an air about him that makes people nervous.

When the door to the outer office closes Sebastian looks about the room, he has been planning what he will do and was channeling his sister for help, Quinn always has an ace up her sleeve and today Sebastian is going to prove to both his father and his sister he is a man who can get the job done. 

Andrew feels a little lightheaded, sweaty and thirsty all at the same time, he motions for Sebastian to sit then the room turns black, slumping into the chair he comes back to himself and straightens his tie. 

‘Now Mr. Fabray I believe you are here for your brother is it?’ Andrew has a plan to make Sebastian lose his cool by taunting him but the Gyste is one step ahead.

Quinn reads people, she delves into their minds and takes what she wants, she can do this without them knowing and leaves the victim clueless. 

Sebastian has developed his own version of this, a little more clumsy and useless in a crowd but none the less the time Andrew spent slumped unconscious in his seat was enough for Sebastian to read the files briefly and gain the upper hand. 

‘Let us not play games Andrew dear,’ Sebastian begins, ‘You have Andreas Antonelli here, held on a charge of theft and coercion I believe.’ Andrew looks at the Gyste with suspicion, how Sebastian knows the charges already when he has not released details he will never know. ‘Andreas  is a half-brother to myself and Quinn but he is a free claim who has worked in trading for many years employed by the Varity clan, so unless you have more than the claims of a Vamp clan that Andreas has done something wrong I will be taking him back to the Fabray estate where the Domus will be free to question him, unless you have more he will not be staying at your pleasure and you know it.’ Sebastian smirks and adds a little edge to his voice which makes Andrew shiver.

‘As of yet, we are unable to ascertain your brother’s involvement in what could be a major money laundering ring.’ Andrew tries to assert himself but Sebastian stops him dead with a bellowed laugh. 

‘Dear, dear Andrew, don’t be a silly boy, make my brother available to me and carry out your investigation as you would that of any high-blood family member, you cannot risk a slight on the name of Fabray.’ Sebastian dismisses the Domus. 

Andrew could push this, he could insist Andreas remains in the jail under the building, he could take that decision on himself and tear up the rulebook where dealing with high-blood families is concerned but that would mean he needs to also risk his pension and his very comfortable life. ‘You make a good case master Fabray, as you are here in person and are offering your personal word that Andreas will return for questioning I will allow you to accompany him home.’ Andrew attempts to gain the upper hand, ‘He will, of course, be placed under house arrest similar to your brothers mate until a trial date is set.’ Andrew rises from his seat and opens his door to the outer office, ‘Have Andreas Antonelli brought to me.’ 

Sebastian remembers his mother’s words, she would always tell her children a Fabray may well go unnoticed in a crowd but in society, their actions are never missed. ‘You make good decisions under pressure Andrew.’ Sebastian swallows his anger and tries to release his breath in a controlled manner but his aura is filling the room so things may well become a little uncomfortable for the Domus if this takes much longer. 

 

In the cells on the basement level Andreas hears the locks open and footsteps come towards his cell, he has become an expert in a short time at measuring how far someone unseen is from his cell and these feet are right outside. 

‘Stand back from the door, turn, head on the far wall and hands behind you.’ The guard follows the routine for taking a detainee from the cells and Andreas follows the instructions to the letter, if this is to be his fate he will keep out of trouble. 

 

Andrew has the worst headache, he wants Sebastian and his bastard brother out of here asap so he might take some painkillers and perhaps have one of the Imps check him over. 

‘Sir, the prisoner is here.’ The assistant from the outer office announces. 

‘Detainee!’ Sebastian snaps, ‘He has been convicted of no crime boy!’ The Gyste is bubbling to the surface. 

Andrew moves to the door and Sebastian follows him, on the other side of the door stands a tall slender but muscular blonde, a little more like Sue than Russell Sebastian thinks. 

Andreas makes eye contact with Sebastian and is filled with an icy chill, he knows enough about his father’s other children to understand Sebastian is projecting his Aura. 

‘It has been decided you will be released into the care of your clan, you are permitted to reside only on the estate of your named clan and will make yourself available to any Domus who wishes to further question you, your clan have agreed to pay the bond and should you skip out on the charges against you they will be held accountable.’ Andrew runs through the legal blurb he knows by heart. 

‘I understand.’ Andreas is subdued but not as Andrew believes because he is guilty of anything but because he is fighting the urge to throw up. 

Sebastian leads the way for Andreas and Phillip to the parking garage where the family town car waits for them. 

Phillip can feel Sebastian’s power in the car as they settle for the ride to the estate but in the company of Andreas, he dare not warn the young Gyste.

‘On the estate, Father will run through what he expects from you, I am sure you will be comfortable with us.’  Sebastian talks while staring out of the window of the car, he is trying to calm himself but the idea of his mother’s upset is making it hard for him so he attempts to close his eyes and pretend to be aloof. 

 

Russell waits in his office for Andreas to arrive, Phillip, informed him Sebastian had secured the release of his true-gyste son and now he paces the rug trying to head off the battle of wills he will face with Judi over Andreas being in the house. 

Phillip knocks and enters alone, ‘Sir, master Sebastian has retired to his chambers, he apologizes for his manners but he is drained.’ Russell nods, he understands completely and will catch up with his son later.

‘Send my son in please Phillip.’ Russell makes a quick decision and sits on the couch to come across relaxed for his son. 

When Andreas closes the door to the office he moves slowly to the couch where his father is sat, ‘Sir?’ 

‘Please Andreas, take a seat, I know it has been an ordeal for you but I want to clear this matter up between us in private.’ Russell alludes to both the arrest and the poor relationship he has with his son. 

Andreas takes a gulp of air to clear his mind, he is feeling less stressed now he is here at the house and wonders how much of that has to do with Sebastian not being here. ‘I know you are busy Sir and this is trouble you can do without.’ Andreas attempts to forgo the belittling from his father he is expecting. 

‘Andreas, this is about something more than banking and traders, you I am afraid were an easy target for the Vamps.’ Russell wonders how much he needs to share and how much his son already knows. ‘The Varity clan are attempting to isolate the Imp clans on the high council and I believe this is a part of their plan. No doubt, in the end, it will be a waste of the Domus time but we will work around their rules.’ Russell is working hard to remain calm and open with his son hoping to put him at ease. 

‘I know your mate would not see me here usually, I will stay in my room.’ Andreas says a little like a scolded child. 

‘That is a matter for another time, you are a guest here while the Domus do their job feel free to move about the house as you choose, Judi and Shelby may have questions for you and I expect you to show them the utmost respect.’ Russell thinks Shelby may wish to quiz the young man out of curiosity and he won’t forbid she do that. 

‘Of course Sir you have my word.’ Andreas wonders who Shelby is but says nothing. 

‘Good, for now, Phillip will take you to your chamber and dinner will be served to you in your room tonight while I inform the family of your arrival.’ Russell has a number of people to explain the presence of his claim’s son too. 

 

Judi had returned early from the city, she is on edge with the arrival of Andreas, in her mind surely Louisa will come to comfort her son. ‘It isn’t that I hate any of them.’ Judi is again explaining herself to Shelby. ‘It is just… I actually don’t know what it is about him and his mother that gets so far under my skin, she was here before me maybe that is it I really have no idea.’ 

Shelby watches her friend nervously shifting as she talks, ‘It is like you have managed to separate them from your family, I guess I am still learning every day and how I feel for Russell is a difficult thing for me to justify in my mind some days.’ Shelby tries to gloss over the events of the day, ‘You should spend some quality time with Russ alone, just while Andreas is here.’ 

Judi smiles politely, ‘Believe me Shels, right now being alone with my mate is the last thing I want.’ 

 

Rachel and Quinn are on the way back to the estate, the meal with Cassandra and Jessie was wonderful and they are both sleepy. Quinn pulls her mate in closer to her. ‘The babies will need a nanny, Rach.’ Quinn takes this time to broach the subject while Rachel is relaxed and excited about Cassie’s latest offer. 

‘I know, they are only just born though I can’t possibly leave them yet.’ Rachel is having a typical new mum dilemma, she has a chance of a career with Cassandra and her offer of a recording deal but she is guilty for even considering it with Ida and Quillion so young still. 

‘We can split some of the responsibilities, they can come to the council chambers with me, there is plenty of room for me to set up a nursery and you can take them with you when it is quieter, a nanny would just be back up for us.’ Quinn likes the idea of being more hands-on with the twins, she listened when her father said these were important times to be present in the little one's lives. 

‘Can we leave this for another time, I will agree to interview some personal nanny’s for the twins but leaving them is too painful right now.’ Rachel is rational about the care of the twins, she has seen how Mike is run ragged by his children and wants to avoid this for her. 

As the couple pulls up to the house Dilas comes down to greet them, he looks happy enough Quinn thinks but him being at the car means he is not near the babies and Quinn doesn’t like that. 

‘Sorry Mistress, there is a visitor to the house, I wanted to tell you in person immediately.’ Dilas can feel Quinn’s disappointment. 

‘Who is it, Dilly?’ Quinn focuses in on the sleeping twins, they are fed and bathed already so Quinn can be grateful for that.

‘The master has had Andreas Antonelli brought to the estate while he awaits charges from the Domus.’ Dilas is concise and quickly gives Quinn the news. 

Rachel feels the jolt from her mate and looks up questioningly at her, ‘What is it?’ She asks.

‘Well for starters my mother will be in a mood all the time he is here but my father would have anticipated this so Andreas being here must be very important to him.’ Quinn play down how hard Judi will make his stay. 

Rachel sigh, the Gyste nature seeps into the mates and she knows Judi will be ready to argue at the drop of a hat while this matter is dragging out, ‘Try not to become embroiled in it Quinn please, my mother is a part of this too now remember.’ Rachel knew this would happen, Russell and her mother are only just getting started as a couple.

‘I had forgotten about Shelby, your mother has settled in so well it is like I always had two mothers.’ Quinn means well, she loves Shelby and the relationship with Judi has really been a boost in the family, Quinn only hopes the Gyste jealousies do not rear their very ugly heads. 

 

Russell stands for an age in the hallway, to his left is the chambers he shares with his mate, where he makes his bed and where he shows his emotions freely. To his right Shelby’s chamber where he regularly stays completely relaxed with his claim and before him his private chambers where only he, Judi and now Shelby are permitted to enter, this room has become a haven to him and his mate in recent months but now he knows behind this door is conflict.

Phillip watches Russell quietly in the shadows, Russell has been a strong leader all throughout Phillip’s time on the estate, he has only ever seen him falter before the clan and that was when Britney was killed. Russell is weighing up his options and in the shadows, Phillip wills his master to enter the chamber and face his women head on. 

 

Andreas looks around the room given him by his father, it is opulent and screams powerful. Andreas was raised in a modest townhouse in a private street, his mother cared for him and his sister alone with no staff this is how she wanted it. Now he is here on the estate he can see just how different the life his Father’s other children has been, Quinn and Sebastian were raised to be leaders and rulers, they have the trappings of kings and queens at their disposal. Andreas looks out on the grounds from his window, the lawns are managed the rose garden which he can remember as a child is perfectly maintained, he is not jealous of his half-siblings but he feels justified in resenting some of their advantages. 

The knock on the door rings him from his thoughts, ‘come in.’ 

‘Sir, Mistress Quinn would like to see you in the Archive, I will guide you to her.’ Emmett was sent on the errand to collect the stranger for Quinn, he isn’t sure who he is but is aware from the other Eunuch that Andreas is to be kept away from Mistress Judi.

‘I guess this isn’t optional?’ Andreas looks for his jacket but Emmett doesn’t answer him. 

 

In the Archive Quinn and Sam wait for their half-brother, Emmett was told to bring him immediately and so the siblings expect him any moment.

_ What do we do if mother banishes him?  _ Sam asks nervously.

_ We don’t take sides, no matter how mother reacts we don’t take sides, I want to know how much he knows and if he is being honest about his innocence, the family must have no weak links.  _ Quinn feels Emmett leading Andreas towards her and turns with a smile.

‘Master Andreas Ma’am.’ Emmett takes pleasure from the little things, a job well done is one of them as he turns to leave the room. 

‘Andreas, I am Quinn and this is my Brother and hand Samuel.’ Quinn greets the man with her manners.

Andreas bends to show submission, he may have been raised off the estate but he knows all about Gyste etiquette. ‘Quinn it is a pleasure to meet you again, if only under better circumstances.’ 

‘Of course, please sit with us, I want to address the charges from the Domus and see how we can help you as a member of the clan.’ Quinn will not say, family.

‘Thank you, do you want me to relay the whole story?’ Andreas has that feeling again, he wonders if Sam has the same abilities as Sebastian.

‘If I might ask a few questions, your answers will tell us all we need to know.’ Quinn waits and Andreas nods for her to begin. ‘They have accused you of stealing from a trust fund set up for the children of the Varity clan, is this true in any way?’ Quinn begins and Sam focuses in on the Gyste before them, he feels no real fear only a panic.

‘No Ma’am, I was tasked with investing the trust fund through trades over the last two years, the trust has grown in size above that which was expected, every penny has been either reinvested or added to the trust, there is nothing untoward about my actions.’ Andreas is cold as ice now before he was hot and nauseous. 

_ I see no obvious deception sister mine.  _ Sam says. 

_ I agree he is honest.  _ Quinn is pleased he is innocent, the last thing she wanted was the Varity clan holding this over her. 

‘Then the charges are trumped up and false?’ Quinn presses him to see if he will crack and admit something to her. 

‘Ma’am they are completely bogus, I have never stolen from the bank, not even a paperclip, I have no need to commit such an act.’ Andreas is warming slightly but he is becoming a little discombobulated. 

‘Quinn has many strengths.’ Sam says, ‘Unfortunately the side effects can be quite a ride, have a drink, my friend.’ Sam comforts the Gyste when he can see Quinn’s probing is becoming a little too much for him.

‘Yes, sorry about that it affects everyone a little differently.’ Quinn smiles, ‘I assure you I meant no harm.’ 

Andreas has spent most of his life away from the high-blood clans and their quirks, he studied many of the great clans including his own in school but most of the histories are incomplete with the clans preferring to be secretive about the abilities the individuals may inherit. 

‘That is OK, I worked for many years with Vamps I have witnessed first hand the power of the thrall.’ Andreas tries to play it off despite his nervousness which both Quinn and Sam can sense. 

‘Please enjoy the time you have with us, I know it isn’t your first choice of holiday destination but we have a good spa.’ Sam tries to lighten the mood.

‘Russell will speak with you about etiquette I am sure, the easiest way to understand it all is that Father may well be the name of the clan but mother gives him his strength and wisdom, you may never win her over but you would do well to avoid her anger while you stay with us.’ Quinn wants to hate him but she feels a bond to the Gyste, ‘If you need anything or have questions both my mate Rachel and Sam’s new mate Santana will be only too happy to talk your ear off about the estate.’ Quinn smirks at Sam, the Gyste laughs inside, the idea of Santana being helpful amuses most of the household. 

 

Russell moves slowly towards the bathroom, Judi left a note to say she would be bathing.

‘Russ I can feel you hovering, get naked and join me, darling.’ Judi has decided after discussing today with Shelby to make peace with her mate and the put the past finally to rest.

When he enters the bathroom Russell has his boxers on but has stripped the rest of his day clothes. ‘This is nice, the candles are your favorite if I remember.’ Russell says, he feels a little anxious, Judi has before dropped a bomb on him when he relaxes.

‘Russ, come on, I can’t talk to you staring up at you like that, here join me and let's be together for a while.’ Judi moves the bubbles in the bath to offer a makeshift space for her mate. 

Russell gives in and takes his last shred of clothing off, he slides into the bath behind his mate like she prefers, he can hold her and she can feel him in this position. 

‘I have made you uncomfortable I know, this whole thing between me and Louisa has dragged on too long, I will make an effort with Andreas while he is here.’ Judi leans into her mate feeling his warm skin against hers and smiles because she knows she has made him tense. 

‘He is innocent of the charges, once this is sorted out he can return to his life away from the clan, I won’t stop him.’ Russell is a little sad, he has a good relationship with the children of his clams, most work for the clan and he is regularly updated about their lives but Louisa had her rules and Russell took the easy route with her and his children. 


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel and Quinn are dealing with the babies as best they can and leaving them is hard for both mothers, Shelby must step up for her friend...

Marcus watches closely as the last of the boxes are brought into the house, he knows the contents will mean trouble but he has to believe Petra when she says she can handle it.

‘Is that the last of them?’ Petra asks.

‘Yes, Ma’am.’ The dull-eyed thrall replies.

Marcus walks around the stack, ‘Should we have them moved to our quarters?’ He asks as he kicks a large box.

‘Careful with that!’ Petra warns, ‘I have asked them to be moved to the barn in the farmyard, we don’t want what is in there seeping out as we sleep.’ Petra smirks, she knows Marcus is shitting himself about her plan but she has convinced him Quinn is only vulnerable one way.

‘Do you know when the first performance will be?’ Marcus is actually glad these boxes won’t be near him as he rests.

‘I will have my contact talk to Cassandra directly, stupid bitch is so keen to have her little human pets perform she agreed without question to the Gyste’s whore being a headline.’ Petra is good at networking and always manages to find the right leverage to get her work done, Cassandra needs a financial backer for the new tour she is sending Jessie on and having Rachel as a support act is perfect when Petra moves to destroy the Fabray freaks she will have home advantage.

 

Santana watches the family closely at breakfast, Andreas is absent but she expected this, she is fascinated by the behavior of Judi though.

_Stop rooting about!_ Sam grips his mates hand under the table as he spots her closely following the movements of the table.

Eva and Iris are at the far end of the table with Mike and Rebekah helping them finish their meal, Eva keeps letting out a high pitched squeal and Santana watches closely as both Quinn and Russell wince at the noise again.

Judi laughs, ‘Kurt you used to make the same noise,’ The Gyste looks horrified as Eva again squeals, ‘It is their only real connection to the Gyste at that age.’ She explains to the bemused faces of the room.

‘Enough now little terror!’ Quinn says to the twins.

‘You should be prepared Quinn, as babies Sam and Brit would make a whistle noise that could wake the dead long before they spoke.’ Russell raises his eyes to his daughter who looks crestfallen.

‘Seriously?’ Quinn shakes her head as Iris whoops and gurgles, ‘You can quiet down too!’ Quinn jokes at the little girl.

Santana sees all in the room, Judi is far from the angry wench Sam warned she would be, Shelby is engrossed in Rachel and the babies, Russell is completely relaxed. Sam grips her hand again a little tighter this time to take her attention from the dining table and when she turns to him he shakes his head.

Quinn and Rachel both have a baby each to feed and attend too, Quinn holds the now empty bottle for Ida up and spies her brother is slower, ‘We win!!’ Quinn smiles brightly at her daughter.

Judi frowns, ‘Quinn, be careful of rivalries!’ The Guru taught her all about the Gyste when she first gave birth and to pit the children against each other would weaken the clan in the long run.

‘I know mother.’ Quinn makes a sad face to her daughter and Ida rewards her mother with some wind and a sick up. ‘Ew, this shirt is a favorite!’ Quinn frowns.

‘Here Ma’am let me.’ Emmett reaches for the little bundle.

‘Thanks, you need to learn manners little princess!’ Quinn bops the tiny nose of her child but the room senses no annoyance in the Gyste.

Rachel finishes with Quillion and moves him to her shoulder to wind, unlike Quinn she is prepared and the baby rests on a cloth she has worn over her shoulder all morning. ‘That reminds me, the Guru warn about Eva and Iris becoming jealous too, did you find that with your other claims?’ Rachel pokes the hornets' nest.

‘They all had Russell’s attention but Quinn’s blood mate children must take priority they will be stronger and more dominant.’ Judi’s tone is off and Shelby rubs her hand under the table.

‘Don’t stress about that Rach, Eva and Iris are Mike’s, not mine and they will see how he has raised them to be strong and honest.’ Quinn smiles at Mike, she knows he has feelings for Rebekah but as of yet neither are brave enough to come to her.

Santana feels the room again, Russell is at peace and Judi is calming quickly, Santana never appreciated before how strong the bond is between the head of the house and his mate.

 

Manny checks the room again, he has Dave’s clothes laid out as per his mistress’s instructions and he smiles and moves on to the next room.

The main door opens and Santana whirls into the room looking about as she does, ‘Shit Manny stop creeping about!’ She snaps and closes the door to her chambers without another word.

The Eunuch stands in the central room and stares at the closed door, he cannot make the breakthrough with Santana that Emmett assured him will come and the young Eunuch heads back to the Eunuch quarters with a heavy heart.

 

Dilas and Quinn are deep in conversation albeit in whispered tones whilst Rachel settles the babies with Emmett.

‘He will be always loyal ma’am.’ Dilas says about the other Eunuch in Quinn’s inner circle.

‘I know this Dilly, my question is, should I bind him to me, will that help him in the long run.’ Quinn has been thinking about marking Emmett like Dilas for a while, despite his stuttering start Emmett is brilliant with the babies and always one step ahead of Quinn’s needs.

Dilas takes a moment, the binding to Quinn is special to him and makes him feel connected to his mistress, ‘He has earned the right to be bound to you and mistress, he will be a good choice as Miss Rachel’s personal Eunuch.’ Dilas wants his friend to have this despite his jealousies that he holds in his heart.

Quinn smiles, ‘Dilas, you will always be the number one in this household, you and I are forever bonded and like my mate you have my heart no one will ever take that from you, you have no reason to feel any jealousy but I understand.’ Quinn reaches out to her Eunuch and strokes his face in comfort.

 

Dave stares at his clothes laid out for him, he thought he would be at the lakehouse today finishing some items for the next blessing but this is not the clothes he wears for manual labor. He shakes his head and dresses in the clothes laid out anyway, maybe Sam has plans in the city for them and he just forgot to mention it.

Santana looks about her room and curses, she said she wanted the evening wear packed to take to the Colonial building, Sam comes to the open door and watches her for a while.

‘What is the problem now Santana?’ he asks quietly.

‘I wanted these outfits packed for travel to the city not laid out, fuck do I have to do everything myself what is the point of a Eunuch.’ The latina is furious with the young Eunuch now.

Sam takes a breath before he speaks but he is resigned to her anger either way, ‘San come on, he will put this right you know he will so just cut him some slack.’ Sam tries to remain neutral in tone to calm his mate.

‘You are weak!’ Santana turns on her Gyste in an obvious rage now, ‘He is the worst fucking Eunuch ever!’ Santana exaggerates the word ever.

‘No he isn’t, you need to calm down and stop behaving like an entitled brat for once.’ Sam rounds on her, ‘You cannot be a leader if you cannot communicate with those below you, this has to stop Santana and it had better be soon because I am reaching the end of my tether with you.’

Just as Santana goes to bite back Dave enters the room wearing his suit and best shoes, ‘More fighting?’ He asks.

‘What the fuck do you have on?’ Santana cannot help herself, she wanted him wearing that tonight not in the workshop by the lake.

‘The clothes on the bed, how am I to know.’ Dave snaps at Sam’s mate.

‘Enough!’ Sam shouts, ‘Enough, this is all becoming too much, Santana attend the Guru.’ Santana makes to but in, but Sam holds his hand up to her, ‘Attend the Guru Santana.’ Sam turns to Dave, ‘Change out of those clothes and hang them up for tonight, go and get on with your work by the lake.’ Dave, unlike Santana, just leaves without another word.

‘I have a right to be heard Sam.’ Santana tries again.

‘Believe me, Santana every fucking Gyste on the estate heard you, go to the Guru and work on your empathy for others.’ Sam never bothered with a personal Eunuch before and he realizes now this was his best move, having Manny has made Santana a bully.

 

Ida cries out when her brother is taken from the crib next to her and Rachel laughs out, ‘You can’t always have your own way missy.’ Ida watches her mother as Rachel straps little Q into his stroller, she is taking the pair down to the lake for some sunshine while Quinn spends some time with the Eunuch in their charge.

Ida burbles as her mother straps her into the stroller and reaches her hand towards her twin who copies the action.

‘All ready?’ Quinn smiles at the sight of her children together.

‘Once we got over our tantrums they settled.’ Rachel says with a smirk.

‘Now listen up little horrors, mama is taking you to the lake and you cannot swim so buck up.’ Quinn reaches into the stroller and tickles both the twins who whoop with joy.

‘I think we need to work on your parenting skills babe, the threat of death is so last century.’ Rachel reaches up and connects her lips with her mate and they spend a moment enjoying each other.

Quillion squeaks out and both his mothers turn and shake their heads, ‘Seriously buddy get over yourself she is mine!’ Rachel says and pecks Quinn’s lips once more.

Dilas lets Rachel out of the room and then ushers Emmett into the room, the young Eunuch is a little worried he may be in trouble but Quinn has an open expression he understands as happy so relaxes.

‘Right, Em you have been with me a while now and Dilas and I have been assessing how you are getting along.’ Quinn smiles and Emmett looks to his Eunuch friend.

‘We have decided you will stand as personal Eunuch to Miss Rachel now that the babies are here, she will need more help and the work on the estate needs to be kept up.’ Dilas lays out the plan.

‘Thank you, Ma’am.’ Emmett bows, ‘It is an honor to serve.’ Emmett is often shy but he makes it a point to always speak his mind just how Quinn likes it.

‘Good, we rely on the Eunuch as a clan and as you know it is so important we have the utmost trust in them,’ Quinn is reading Emmett as she talks to confirm his loyalty but she has nothing to worry about with the young Eunuch. ‘So I thought you might benefit from binding with me, to help keep up with Rachel and my babies.’ Quinn has a kind smile but feels the apprehension in Emmett.

‘It’s not painful is it Ma’am?’ Emmett says, he has seen the scars on some of the Eunuch in the masters household and cannot believe those cuts are pain-free.

‘A little.’ Dilas says ‘but the pain is quickly forgotten and the connection is a great thrill.’ Dilas is so very proud of his mark and the shared connection he has with Quinn and Rachel.

Emmett runs the offer about in his mind, he hates pain and cannot bear the idea of being branded but something in Dilas’ tone makes him think this is different. ‘OK, thank you, Ma’am.’ He decides the idea of a thrill is too much to miss out on.

Quinn chuckles, ‘Dilas was keener than you I have to admit, right where is your family mark?’ Quinn asks.

‘He is braver for sure.’ Emmett jokes and turns up his sleeve to reveal a healed brand with a strange symbol Quinn has never seen before but she ignores her questions and gently takes the arm of her Eunuch.

Dilas watches as Quinn allows the Gyste forth and sinks her tusks into the other Eunuch he visibly pales when she takes the small draw of blood then closes his eyes as the tingle then the power surges through him.

‘Oh, oh.’ Emmett stutters as Quinn closes the wound and allows his arm to drop to his side. ‘Oh, wow that… wow... Just wow.’ Emmett is filled with noise and tingles and power he has never felt before.

‘Take a seat Em, it will be a little overwhelming until you become used to it, tomorrow we will practice so you know what you are feeling OK.’ Quinn can feel him in the bond and she knows Rachel can too.

‘I can feel him too Mistress.’ Dilas says with a grin, he never thought he would feel another Eunuch.

‘Is that the miss?’ Emmett asks randomly.

Quinn feels for her mate and knows Rachel is playing with the babies and is content. ‘Yes, that is pure love Em.’ Quinn smiles.

 

In the center of the house in the Eunuch quarters where all the Eunuch move silently about the house Remus is checking the stocks, he prides himself on knowing everything the family needs and never running out. Making a note to have the supply of jellies that Sebastian craves restocked he spots something out of place and follows his light to the mess. ‘This will not do, not do at all.’ He mutters, the linen is in a pile and not neatly folded as it should be, each household within the estate has their own section, Quinn insists on only pure white bedding whilst Sebastian has elaborate Imp silks. Remus will not realize what is missing until later when he sees the white cotton sheet hanging from the third-floor window.

 

Andreas stares out of the window, he can see Rachel and the babies by the lake ahead of his room and to the left he sees Dave painting a gate near the flower gardens. His mother raised him to be free thinking and independent of his father, Russell allowed both him and his sister to make their own way in life and only ever stepped in when asked to. Russell always attended the main events in their lives, junior school plays, graduations and for Andreas football games although just the competition games.

The knock on the door brings him from his thoughts and staring out the window, without him answering Phillip lets himself into the room followed by another robed Eunuch.

‘I have some things for you to sign and also while you are here your father asks you to attend the Guru, you remember the process I am sure.’ Phillip has been the only contact Andreas has had with the clan in the last ten years, he has at times over shared about the family and Andreas has resented him for some of the intrusions.

‘Thank you, what is the paperwork?’ Andreas ignores the Guru for now.

‘OK, we have the forms for the Domus you need to complete to remain here whilst you are on bail, your father wants a rundown of monies you require for the coming months and any events you have committed to.’ Phillip places the papers on the table and then turns to Nat the other Eunuch. ‘Place the bags there for the master and then fetch his lunch please.’ Phillip dismisses him before continuing.

Andreas looks in the bags briefly and can see his things from the penthouse have been brought to him, ‘Did you find my laptop and phone?’

‘Both have been taken by the team at the colonial building for examination, they will be overseen by the Domus but your father insisted our tech people look first.’ Phillip watches Andreas search the bags. ‘We can have new items brought to you if you let me know what you want.’ Phillip has no need for the modern technology he lives a simple Eunuch life.

‘Maybe,’ Andreas is caught in a thought, ‘In my penthouse is a safe, I have some personal papers in there and a few bonds and so on, can you see if that has been opened please.’

‘I am not aware of a safe but will make inquiries.’ Phillip makes a note to find out.

‘Can I speak with my father?’ Andreas asks.

Phillip looks up suddenly, ‘Yes I am sure he will be available, I shall have someone take you to him when he is free.’ Phillip stalls for time, he hasn’t been advised Russell wants to speak with him.

‘Thanks and Quinn said I can speak with her mate, is that her by the lake?’ Andreas looks out of the window again at Rachel.

‘Yes, that is Miss Rachel…’ Phillip must check on Judi before agreeing to the young Gyste leaving his room. ‘I will announce you first.’ Phillip says randomly.

Andreas realizes Phillip is playing for time, ‘Thanks I would appreciate that.’

‘Right so you finish those forms for me and I will find out about your safe.’ Phillip is ready to leave before he makes a promise he cannot fulfill.

When Phillip closes the door to the room Andreas returns to the window and stares out at the grounds and Rachel by the lake.

 

At the Guru Santana waits for Marin, as the mate to a dominant Gyste she is afforded the right to speak only with the most trusted of the Guru monks.

‘Miss Santana, please come through.’ Marin is surprised to see the Succubus here but he rolls with it.

Once in the chamber Santana takes a seat by the window and stares out, she is sulking about being here.

‘From your mood Santana I assume your master insisted you visit me.’ Marin knows much about the latina and is aware she hates the caste system and how the outside world see her so he decides to push her.

‘I’m no-one's fucking puppet!’ Santana snaps, she will not be referred to as a slave.

Marin taps into the mood of his ward, she is filled with anger, ‘Santana.’ The Succubus ignores him so he stands over her in a dominant stance, ‘Look at me!’ He demands.

Santana jumps up and gets into his face, she is filled with fury and wants to show him how to respect her but Marin is quick, he expected her to stand up and before she is upright he has his hand on her shoulder and applies pressure.

Marin is trained and has studied the art of hand to hand combat most of his life, he is also skilled in the Imp combat of Risor, the practice of using unknown pressure points to disable an opponent and Santana is quickly disabled.

‘Miss Santana, in this room you will show me no anger and you will remember your place, I am the master of this house and you my dear will show me the respect I have earned.’ Santana is on her knees unable to move her right side and she is helpless to bring the Succubus forth to protect her, after a few moments where she attempts to wriggle free she submits and slumps her shoulders down. ‘Good, maybe now I can help you find the respect you so rightly deserve.’ Marin smiles a kind smile and Santana begins a long journey she has been putting off too long.

 

Rachel takes a moment when Phillip addresses her with the request from Andreas, ‘Show him down to the lake Phillip and have Emmett attend me with refreshments.’ Rachel can see Jake and Ryder throwing the football about just across the lawn from her and knows they have an eye on her.

‘Yes Miss, the master requests you answer freely if he has clan questions.’ Phillip is surprised Russell made this agreement but who is he to question.

Rachel arranges the babies again, little Q wriggles almost constantly and she dreds them walking because they will be into everything.

Andreas approaches Rachel slowly, the two Imp across the lawn are watching him closely and he tracks them moving closer but sees Rachel wave them back. Once he is close he realizes just how petite the woman is, looking at the babies sat with her it crosses his mind how she carried such children to term in her small frame. ‘Miss Rachel.’ Andreas bows in submission.

‘Andreas, my mate mentioned you may wish to speak with me, please take a seat with me I need all the hands I can get.’ Rachel straightens Quillion again.

Andreas settles on the blanket with his half-sister’s mate and her children, ‘I felt after Quinn offered you as conversation it would be poor manners to not seek you out, I am afraid I know far too little of Quinn so fail to understand her reasons.’ Andreas watches the babies, they both stare at him and this makes him unnerved.

‘Ignore them, they stare almost constantly and for the life of me I cannot work out their minds.’ Rachel notices his discomfort, ‘Now take your time with your questions because I can be quite the talker.’ Rachel jokes.

‘Thank you, I guess I wanted to catch up really, my sister and I are out of the loop and so much seems to have happened since last I spent time in the presence of the clan.’ Andreas admits he is curious how the brats he once knew have turned into a committed clan with Quinn now the power behind the family name.

Rachel is thrilled, she loves storytelling and she has a willing audience in Andreas.

 

Petra watches the thralls move the last of the boxes she has secured, she may have failed where the chain is concerned but in the vials, she has acquired she has possibly the ultimate weapon again Quinn Fabray and her family.

 


	43. Chapter 43

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Palous digs into the old text and connects the dots back to Quinn, Jack has a master plan but doesn't understand the true workings of the Gytse...

There may be times when Jane can forget the deal she made with the devil all those years ago but mostly she lives with the constant knowledge she lives two lives.

‘Take the money.’ The Imp before her suggests again.

‘That isn’t a solution to your problems, you have a son with a habit who has made a mistake he cannot take back, offer him up to me now and your clan will remain with their reputation intact.’ Jane has a young Imp in her custody, he stole a car, drove it into a drug store and proceeded to steal all the pills he could grab. Unfortunately for him, all he ran with were contraception and anti-sickness, all the good stuff was safely locked away at the back of the store.

‘He needs help not to be tried like a criminal.’ The Imp again tries.

Janes runs her hand through her hair, she will never understand why the high-blood clans believe their crimes do not matter to the Domus. ‘Your son is a criminal Sir, he stays with us and he waits it out in a rehabilitation center until he is tried, good day to you.’ Jane has had enough she knows the Imp is mad at her she knows he wants to kill her right now but she has other things to deal with and doesn’t want his money.

When the Imp leaves she takes a cleansing breath and tries to focus on the main issue, Jack and his idiot plan to turn the clans against each other and she ponders where he found such a weapon in the first place.

To the knowledge of the Domus, there are seven main toxins for the Vamps, all of which are deadly but five of those have an antidote that each clan has stockpiled, before the great war and the subsequent agreements between the named high-blood clans to join together these toxins were weaponized. Jane thinks back to her training to a time when these weapons were last used and she is coming up blank which means the high-council will know it has to be an old clan that has used this toxin against the Imp farmer, Jane has a problem now and no-one to turn to.

 

‘How can we trust this rebel?’ Marcus asks again, ‘How do we know he wasn’t responsible for the attack on this clan?’

Petra eyes her mate again, she knows despite the claims of Jack he was in on the attack but she also knows Marcus is under the impression Quinn and the Fabrays wiped the rebel cell out completely. ‘Marcus we have been through this before, he has no beef with the Vamps, just the Gyste like us so he is our best weapon currently, every move we make is being followed by the high-council and so we need an outsider don’t worry nothing can come back to us I assure you.’  Petra doesn’t even believe her own lies right now but she has a small window of opportunity with the Blood-Gyste clans and she cannot lose it.

 

Palous Nielson rereads the text before him and shakes his head in disbelief, Quinn Fabray is a time bomb if this is to be believed.

The text dates back to the times where living gods roamed the earth and the Gyste were considered those gods, no-one now believes the old text except a few separated clans that are loyal to the old ways like the humans who believe in their gods to save them one day. A great Gyste will one day come to join the clans and rule as a God on earth but this Gyste will cause much destruction along the way as the power they hold is uncontrollable.

Palous has had his Guru Imp looking at the old text for many months even before the news of Quinn’s early ascension was made public, the other markers for her being this chosen one are all there, the hand that she chose over her twin, the mate she took with her into ascension and the children born blessed to be strong, if any of these things are to be believed Quinn is the single most dangerous being on earth.

Palous closes the text and pushes back from his seat, Quinn must be protected from harm, if she is put under any undue stresses the final stage of her progression could be triggered so Palous decides it is better to stand with the devil than against her.

 

Jack Zool has all the weapons he needs now, the vamps have given him the toxin to finish off a generation and as he stands before the vast building that houses the children of the Gyste he smiles to himself, this will be the final straw for the Gyste, they will know the toxin comes from the Vamps and a war will break out destroying all they have built.

Jack walks with purpose to the main door and flashes his fake badge to the Eunuch monk who waves him through into a vast courtyard ornately decorated with jewels and fine sculptures, Jack expected the wealth of the clans to be lowkey but this place is a demonstration of the power he despises.

The vial in his pocket weighs him down as he walks looking for people in the empty hallways of the monastery, he is confused where they all are he was lead to believe this place would be a hive of activity for the teenage Gyste but there isn’t a soul about.

‘Can I help you, sir?’ A small robed Eunuch steps from a room to question Jack.

‘Where is everyone?’ Jack asks unable to see passed the Eunuch into the room he vacated.

Silus watches the stranger closely and tries to read him, in the room he vacated sits a silent monk who is channeling the energy of the Eunuch and he stirs just a little, _Careful Silus this man comes with murder on his mind._

‘Everyone?’ Silus moves a little closer, ‘Who do you expect to find?’

Jack looks again up the corridor and back to the entrance courtyard, ‘I thought this was a monastery for the Gyste, I am doing an article on the teachings for the Times.’ Jack bluffs.

‘No sir, you are not.’ Silus allows himself to be taken into the bond completely and his eyes shine the golden color, ‘You have plans to kill today but the Vampire you so readily trusted has double-crossed you and the poison you hope to release is harmless to all but the bugs.’ _Good work Silus, now stand back and let the Imp do their jobs._

Jack is so stunned by the eyes and the blank look on the Eunuch he doesn’t register the words immediately and so loses the vital seconds he needed to flee the building, by the time he turns to leave the Imp guard are on him and his pockets emptied.

‘Sir we will take it from here.’ The Imp captain tells Silus and the Eunuch quietly slips back into the room he came from and sits in his seat with his head bowed, _The clans will be pleased with us, you may sleep again now Silus._ The figure returns to his slumber and the room falls silent again.

 

Jane waits for Jack, he is late and she is losing her patience with him, he arranges a fucking meeting then he is late when he knows the risks she takes. When Jack does not arrive after another half an hour she collects her coat and leaves, he has blown it this time she can easily find another fool to do her bidding and he is on his own from now on.

Palous sits behind his desk and observes the human before him, Jack looks terrified and confused and the fear pleases the Blood-Gyste. 'So you went to a monastery hoping to kill the children of Gytse, you have a vial that contains a toxin which I will have the origin of soon enough, and somehow you believed you would just walk away from this?' Palous isn't looking for answers he can read those himself, he may not be as adept as Quinn Fabray at taking things from peoples minds but Like Sue Fabray, he is able to read enough to spot a lie or a thief. 

Jack stands as straight as he can, he knows the Gyste are able to kill without breaking a sweat and he expects to be dead pretty soon so all he has to do is just keep Jane and Petra out of this. Palous spots the thought, he knows the human is planning something or attempting to hide something from him, he could call Quinn and have her deal with this quickly but until he knows what he is dealing with he can wait, no-one knows Jack is here and he has the right to keep this matter private as it occurred on his private land. 'Take him to the chamber and keep him safe, I don't want him to have any accidents while he is our guest.' Palous smirks as the Imp Guard removes the squirming Jack from the room by lifting him and then dragging him down to the cellar chambers where no-one will be able to find him. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, please comment as you see fit x


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